Too many bridges burned
by IcyLady
Summary: New mysteries, new friends and new challenges: Hermione's sixth year at Hogwarts will be anything but boring. HP/KS/NO6 crossover! Alternative universe story.
1. Prologue: Memories

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter, Kuroshitsuji, No. 6 and all their characters belong to their authors. Cain Kruspe and the plot are mine though, so please respect that. I make no money out of this story. The title is a quote from The Rasmus' "Time to burn", possibly their best song ever.**

**Author's notes: Instead of writing a dramatic KS/NO6 crossover, I started this on a whim and it turned into a long story that I greatly enjoyed writing. Before you start reading, be warned: this is an ALTERNATIVE UNIVERSE story. There are no Horcruxes and the fifth year of Hermione's school life ends quite a bit differently than the fifth book. Ciel has never been abducted and subjected to the pain and terror he survives in the original story. He has never contracted a demon. Nezumi hasn't been hunted for most of his life and Shion hasn't been quite as sheltered. Consequently, their characters differ a bit from the original ones. I hope that does not stop you from reading and enjoying the story!**

**Please enjoy!**

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**Prologue: Memories**

Eleven years old and still quite lost in the world of magic, which she didn't know existed just a year earlier, Hermione Granger entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Professor McGonagall led all the first-year students in and Hermione knew that most were as nervous as she was. It didn't help that older students were looking at them, some laughing, some encouraging their younger siblings.

An old, ugly hat was brought forward and Hermione listened to the explanations that professor McGonagall gave them. So it was only to put a hat on, she thought with a mix of relief and disappointment. It was pointless to study all those spells and train them on the train, she thought.

When "Abbott, Hannah" stepped forward as the first student to be sorted, Hermione was infinitely grateful that her family name started with "G". The girl was sorted into Hufflepuff and, accompanied by the cheers of the other students, she nearly ran out of the podium. Hermione imagined that she was grateful to not be look at by just about everybody in the huge hall.

"Allen, Shion" was called next and a thin, brown-haired, brown-eyed boy stepped forward. Like the girl before him, he moved with a certain mix of hesitation and purpose. Hermione wondered, as the hat screamed "Ravenclaw!", if he knew beforehand what the sorting was. She supposed that the children from magical families were well aware of the procedure. The boy took the Hat off and went off the podium to another table. On his way he flashed a smile to somebody in the line of first-year students.

With the third sorted student, Hermione realised that as soon as the Hat spoke its verdict, a badge of the House the student now belonged to appeared on the robes and some parts of the black tissue became coloured in the colours of the House as well. She was itching to find out what kind of magic it was, because there were no spells cast in the room, just the Sorting Hat screaming in the tense silence.

When her time finally came, Hermione was weak with nerves and wondering if "G" couldn't have been third or fourth in the alphabet for just that one day. She could see the whole hall as she sat on the wooden stool and she was grateful when the Hat covered her eyes.

'Well, well,' said a voice, making Hermione nearly jump off the chair in panic. 'Such a sharp mind you have,' the voice continued and Hermione realised that it was the Hat talking to her. 'But so much bravery as well and loyalty as well, I could fit you in almost every House my dear girl, except for Slytherin.'

Well, I don't want to go to Slytherin, Hermione thought. Since reading about the Houses, she thought she could only belong to Ravenclaw and the knowledge that she had more than her brains to be proud of made her dizzy with happiness. If she could prove that she was brave, ha!

'Well then, Gryffindor it is,' the Hat said. Hermione realised that it shouted the name of the House and the Hat was removed. Grinning madly, she went towards the table where people were cheering and sat next to "Finnigan, Seamus". He grinned at her and she grined back, so happy that she only focused back on the Sorting when "Lovegood, Luna" got sorted into Ravenclaw.

Well, I can study hard even in Gryffindor, Hermione thought, watching the blond girl smile serenely and glide towards the Ravenclaw table. The line of waiting students was growing smaller and smaller. "Malfoy, Draco" went to Slytherin as she supposed he wished, having heard about him on the train. "Middleford, Elizabeth" went to Hufflepuff, all but skipping happily on the way.

"Patil, Padma" was called and, next to her, Seamus muttered that it was twin time for the sorting. Looking back at the waiting students, Hermione noticed that indeed, the next girl seemed to be a carbon copy of Padma and, the two boys waiting next had the exact same, dark, ashen blue-ish hair colour that couldn't have been an accident. Could it?

The Patil twins got separated into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and "Phantomhive, Ciel" was called up to the podium. The boy walked with the same regal air about him as Draco Malfoy did and Hermione wasn't surprised when he was sorted into Slytherin. He walked to the table, where the students barely cheered at all, without a glance at anybody else. Hermione followed him with her gaze, watching how he sat down next to Draco Malfoy and greeted the other boy politely. Did they know each other from before school?

"Phantomhive, Gratien" was also sorted into Slytherin and Hermione wondered why the Patil twins were separated, but she didn't have much time to think as "Potter, Harry" was called out and the silence that fell upon the room was the deepest yet. Even Hermione held her breath while the Hat pondered on where to send the boy.

'Gryffindor!' the Hat finally exclaimed and Hermione's table erupted in cheers that were the loudest of them all. They continued for the longest time as well, all but drowning out "Thompson, Safu" being sorted into Ravenclaw and they lasted almost until "Weasley, Ronald" joined the Gryffindor table. Hermione winced, knowing that she will have to be friendly with the rude, red-haired boy.

The sorting finished soon after and the headmaster rose to welcome all the new students in the school. He didn't sound that wise, Hermione thought when the speech finished and food appeared on the table as though by magic.

Many years later, Hermione still remembered that evening with some fondness, realising that the people she remembered best, even when she didn't know them at that point, later became her friends. She often wondered about the selectivity of her memory and about the reality that they, the students of Hogwarts, built, with their lives and their choices fulfilling the greatest dream of the headmaster Dumbledore. She had learnt about that dream only later, when the most terrifying threat was upon the wizarding world and Dumbledore said that they had to unite to conquer it.


	2. Ch 1: The curse

**Ch. 1: The curse**

Ciel Phantomhive impatiently brushed away the hair that was usually falling over his right eye. Sometimes it covered it completely, much to the dismay of his parents. Don't think about mother, he scolded himself. His black cat, Sebastian, meowed from where he was sitting, perched on the windowsill, and Ciel welcomed the distraction. It became increasingly difficult to be alone since everything fell apart.

Ironically, it wasn't the second rise of Voldemort that changed Ciel's life so thoroughly. No, his family, although as pure blood and as noble as they came, wasn't interested in following another or joining the murder club. Or so he thought. Well, when Voldemort rose again, Ciel's father, Vincent, was more than worried that the nagging to join the case would restart. He even went as far as suggesting that Ciel, and his adopted brother Gratien, don't go to Hogwarts for their fifth year of studies. However, Rachel, Ciel's mother, convinced him that they were the safest within the walls of the castle, under the watchful eye of headmaster Dumbledore.

Vincent gave in. Ciel and Gratien, who threatened to kill anybody who called him otherwise than by his chosen nickname – Nezumi, went to school, oblivious to the drama that would unfold in the end of the school year. They worked as hard as ever, knowing that Ciel's father did not acknowledge excuses for failing in their courses and had rather high expectations both of his biological and adopted son. Mindful of Umbridge's real mission in Hogwarts, they dutifully stayed under her radar and complained to their parents about her being a useless Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Thankfully, Vincent thought that defending oneself was too important a subject to wait until his sons were eleven to start to learn it.

Consequently, the school year passed as all the ones before, with Elizabeth's and Shion's enthusiasm and Safu's silent adoration for the oblivious, airheaded Shion. Nezumi and Ciel quietly enjoyed the company of their friends, even if they never actually called them for what they were. Nezumi was too wary of trusting people with his feelings and Ciel was too proud to admit just how much pleasure they took from the company of the other three.

Everything was going well until Harry The Saviour Potter decided to storm the Ministry of Magic. Ciel had no idea why he did that. Even Shion, who studied often with Safu and Potter's friend, Hermione Granger, had no idea. It didn't matter though, because it was enough to know that Potter, together with some friends, found themselves attacked by a couple of Deatheaters. They survived thanks to the Order of the Phoenix and headmaster Dumbledore, who arrived right on time. Ciel learned that much later, on the funeral of headmaster Dumbledore, who defeated the Dark Lord for good this time.

Paradoxically, it was after Dumbledore's funeral that Ciel's life crumbled. An unfair but understandable demand for all the pure blood wizards to produce a proof of not being a Deatheater brought to light the fact that Rachel Phantomhive did have the Dark Lord's tattoo on her arm. Her only excuse and defence was that she did it for her family, for her husband and sons, to be protected from the wrath of the Dark Lord. She didn't fight the arrest and didn't protest to be taken to Azkaban in wait for her trial.

Father was in London at that very moment, attending to the trial. He took neither Ciel nor Nezumi with him, saying that it wasn't something they needed to see. On the windowsill, Sebastian stretched lazily and jumped off, trotting out of the room gracefully.

They must be back, Ciel thought. When Nezumi and Ciel didn't arrive at Shion's place as they would usually, the brown-haired boy came to visit them and ask if everything was alright. Nezumi took him for a walk, Ciel supposed to explain the situation.

Trust Nezumi to understand, Ciel thought bitterly. His "twin", who was really born on the same day but to different parents, went through more than Ciel could imagine. Nezumi's parents, who were best friends of Ciel's parents, had died in a horrible fire that devoured their house and very nearly took Nezumi's life as well. It had happened on Nezumi's and Ciel's fourth birthday, just before the guests were supposed to arrive. If not for the Muggle parents of Shion, who didn't understand the true danger of a magical fire, Nezumi would be dead as well.

Ciel barely remembered those events. For him, Nezumi was always a brother. Now, his brother was coming back with Shion, who was almost like a brother to Ciel as well, and Ciel would have to face the other boy. What would Shion say? Would he condemn mother for taking the Dark Mark? Would he even come back with Nezumi or would he want to have nothing to do with the Phantomhive Manor at all?

He didn't have much time to think because, as soon as Sebastian was gone through the door, Shion and Nezumi appeared. Shion's brown eyes widened as they took in Ciel and the boy all but flung himself at Ciel, much to Ciel's surprise.

'This is so horrible, Ciel,' he was saying. 'I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. If I can do anything to help you,' he added. As he hesitantly wrapped his arms around Shion, Ciel looked, above the other boy's shoulder, at the knowing smile that momentarily twisted Nezumi's face.

'He insisted to come back here immediately,' Nezumi said calmly as Shion let go of Ciel.

'I didn't want you to be alone in a moment like that,' Shion said earnestly and Ciel, who was raised to be cold and guarded, was yet again amazed by the trustful openness of his friend.

'Father will not be here tonight,' Nezumi pointed out. He always called Vincent "father", but avoided saying "my" and Ciel picked that up from him. 'I thought we might try to do something to take our minds off this mess. Worrying about it will not take us anywhere so we might just as well occupy ourselves.'

'You're right, of course,' Ciel agreed. 'But I don't see what we could do. I simply cannot focus on anything else than,' he trailed of. Shion enclosed him in another, brief hug, before suggesting that they could go to his father's library and read something. It was Nezumi's favourite summer pass-time activity and, more often than not, Ciel and Shion joined him.

'I feel like I have to stay here and wait,' Ciel protested. 'I know he will not come back tonight, but I feel like I should be here, just in case he does,' he added. Nezumi nodded in understanding and suggested they would eat something and then see what they could do.

Eventually, they ended up exploring. The Phantomhive Manor was big enough for even Ciel to not know everything about it and there seemed to be nothing that Shion liked more than a mystery. His enthusiasm was contagious and, even in his gloomy mood, Ciel found that he couldn't resist the temptation to explore the west wing of the house.

'I wonder what we will find!' Shion enthused as, armed in their wands, three boys made their way towards the corridors they have never seen. Nezumi snickered. Ciel hoped it would be more than dust and spider webs because otherwise it would be extremely disappointing.

Lights didn't work in that part of the manor because house elves were not taking care of it, on explicit orders from Vincent's grandfather. With the faint flickers on the tips of their wands, they discovered old portraits every couple of meters, probably portraying the Phantomhive family members. They were hanging on the pale walls, dust gathering on their frames. Ciel didn't know any of the people on them but, as Shion pointed out promptly, judging by their clothes and the style of painting, they were from many, many years ago. The people pained on the paintings were looking at them silently. A chill ran down Ciel's spine.

They passed by a number of doors and tried to open them, but they all seemed closed, so they walked on. Closed rooms probably meant empty rooms. They turned into different corridors, but nothing ever changed.

'I wonder why father doesn't put them somewhere more visible,' Ciel mused as they stopped in front of Archibald Phantomhive. They stopped in front of it because Ciel started to wonder if there was a point to this excursion and, he suspected, so did the other two. The man on the painting looked at them disapprovingly.

'What are you doing here, children?' he said, his eyes lingering on Shion. Knowing that the predecessors of Vincent were not overly fond of Muggle born wizards, Ciel glared at the man, warning him to not voice his thoughts. Nobody badmouthed his friends. 'This is not a place for children to be,' the man added. 'Evil lurks here.'

'Evil?' Nezumi replied, not missing a beat. Sometimes Ciel was jealous of his reflexes. 'What kind of evil can lurk here?' he asked.

'I am not at liberty to tell,' the painting said. 'Does Lady Rachel know that you're here?' he asked. An unpleasant feeling overcame Ciel for a moment. Why would the portrait mention mother like that? Did she hide something in those corridors?

'I command you to tell me,' he ordered imposingly. He would have to warn father. The man on the portrait looked away. 'I am not a stupid Gryffindor to rush into danger,' Ciel hissed at the man's silence. 'If you tell me what is there and where we will leave. But if you don't, we might want to find out ourselves.'

'Don't be silly, child,' the portrait finally said. Ciel exchanged worried looks with Nezumi and Shion.

'Maybe we should leave and tell your dad,' Shion suggested in a quiet whisper. Ciel nodded.

'Let's get out of here,' he said. Without further hesitation, they turned around and walked to where they came from. Ciel hoped that he remembered the way and they wouldn't get lost. Suddenly the idea of exploring didn't seem so good anymore, especially not when there was no adult in the manor and would likely not be before long. Suddenly the expressions of the painted people seemed malevolent.

They didn't run, knowing that in the dark corridors running would bring panic and the last thing they needed was to panic. However, when they reached a point where their corridor met with another one, Ciel's heartbeat quickened. They had two directions to choose and they stopped uncertainly. They looked around and Shion took a couple of steps one way while Nezumi went the other.

'We came from that direction,' Shion pointed with his wand, towards where Nezumi went. 'I don't recognise the paintings here,' he added. Knowing that he could trust Shion's memory, Ciel went in the direction of Nezumi, expecting Shion to join them.

'I think this door is open,' Shion said hesitantly. Ciel and Nezumi turned to him immediately. Careful not to touch anything, the brown-haired boy took another step towards the room that indeed looked to be open. A foreboding feeling washing over him, Ciel made to stop him.

Words died on his lips when a gust of wind extinguished the flickers on the tips of their wands, enclosing them in impenetrable darkness. Complete silence rang in Ciel's ears as he held his breath, waiting for something to happen. He guessed that Shion and Nezumi also held their breaths because he couldn't hear them at all. Light, he thought. He was about to cast the spell when a bloodcurdling scream tore the silence. A split of a second later, a bright glare blinded him for a moment.

When he could see again, the sight in front of his eyes made his blood freeze. Shion was the one who screamed and he was still screaming, although somewhat subdued, as he fought to breathe. Something that looked like a shining snake was wrapped around his body, from his left ankle, up his leg and torso, right until his neck.

He looked like he was struggling not only to free his neck but also to step away from the doorway. Could something be holding on to his left ankle? Nezumi ran towards him, but Ciel stopped him.

'We cannot touch him,' he hissed urgently. They both knew that it would not help anybody if two people got under the influence of the curse.

'He'll die if we don't,' Nezumi protested and broke free. To his credit, he didn't touch Shion with his hands but turned around and pushed him away from the doorway with his back, using his momentum. The screaming and the light disappeared.

'Nezumi?' Ciel asked hesitantly. He lit the tip of his wand. Nezumi was lying on top of Shion, breathing heavily, a couple of steps away from the still open doorway. As Ciel ran up to them, making sure to be as far from the door as he could, he moved and they both gasped. Shion's clothes were literary burned away where the light snake has been, the skin red and blistering.

'What the hell,' Ciel muttered as Nezumi checked the pulse. Relief washed over him when his adopted brother announced that Shion was alive. 'Shall we levitate him out of here?' he asked and Nezumi nodded in agreement. As Ciel cast the levitation spell, Nezumi collected Shion's wand and charmed his to be a compass. They were about to move when Ciel noticed a change in Shion: the boy's hair became snow-white. Didn't he get paler also?

'Come on Ciel,' Nezumi muttered and, from his expression, Ciel understood that he also noticed the changes. 'We'll worry about it when we get out of this place,' he added. Without further hesitation, they ran out of the abandoned corridors and, only when they reached the entrance hall, flooded with light, did they stop.

'Let's get him to bed and call a healer,' Ciel suggested. Not waiting for Nezumi's reply, he went to the guest bedroom that Shion used when he stayed over for the night. 'We should treat those burns or else they will scar,' he added when Shion was lying on his bed.

'If you call a healer, they will know that there is something bad in the manor,' Nezumi said quietly, fear for losing the second home in his voice. Ciel pursed his lips, watching how Nezumi gently undid Shion's shirt to check the state of the burns. They both winced.

'With mother's trial, it's not like they will be surprised,' Ciel pointed out. 'Do you think we can manage the situation ourselves?' he asked. Nezumi pointed out that they knew the basic healing spells and they should at least give it a try.

They followed his advice and, after ensuring that there was no internal damage and casting multiple healing charms on the burns, tried to wake Shion up and assess the damage fully. Shocked gasps escaped both of them when the white-haired boy finally groaned in pain and opened his eyes.

Bright, violet eyes looked up at them in confusion.


	3. Ch 2: Changes

**Ch. 2: Changes**

Many things changed after the fall of Voldemort. Not that much for Hermione personally, since her parents were Muggles, although she did appreciate the feeling of relief that overcame her when she realised that it was over.

The most, things changed for Harry, because of Wormtail's trial. Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, was cleared of all charges and compensated for his time in Azkaban. Because Voldemort was defeated and there was no need for the blood magic to protect Harry, he was allowed to live with his godfather.

It always made Hermione smile whenever she remembered Harry's expression when he told her and Ron that he was moving out from his aunt's place. His Muggle aunt must have been pretty relieved as well, Hermione supposed. Not that she really cared about Harry's horrible aunt.

The Weasleys continued more or less in the same way. They were proud for not having anybody with a Dark Mark in the family, which was not a common occurrence in the pure blood families. Hermione still shivered at the thought of how many people were discovered to be Deatheaters. Some of them have obviously been evil, but some were complete surprises that only got revealed after the demand that every pure-blood proves their allegiance. Hermione didn't think it was fair to single out pure bloods, until she heard of the success that initiative had.

Professor Snape was spared because he was a known spy and he did inform the Order of the Phoenix about the mess in the Ministry. Hermione still blushed at the thought that they didn't think he understood Harry's message. Of course he couldn't have let them know that he got it because he would betray himself in front of Umbridge! How she could have missed that, Hermione didn't know. She wasn't sure if she will be able to face him on Potions.

Fred and George opened their shop in Hogsmeade, putting Zonko's out of business in a matter of weeks with one simple move of giving discount to all Hogwarts students for the first month of their existence. Hermione visited their shop a couple of times, profiting from the fact that the Burrow was directly connected to it by floo. Their products were brilliant.

One thing that hasn't changed, and Hermione was grateful, was that she spent half of holidays with Ron and Harry. This year they didn't stay in the Burrow though, but with Sirius, much to Harry's and Ron's delight. With the three of them, Hermione sometimes felt like a mother rather than a teenager but Harry's open delight was enough to pacify her. Harry deserved that strike of luck in his life, she thought firmly, and gritted her teeth at yet another prank the boys pulled on her.

It was with mixed feelings that she got onto the train to Hogwarts on the first of September, afraid to face the biggest change yet: the death of headmaster Dumbledore. Last school year, it happened so close to the end that she had no time for the news to sink in before she was back at home. Now, however, after two months of time to think about it, she worried that Hogwarts will not be the home it was anymore. That McGonagall would be the director she knew from the letter, as well as she knew that Snape took McGonagall's position. Who would take up the Transfiguration classes? Who would be their new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher?

Absentmindedly, she noticed that most of the students were subdued on the train. The Slytherins didn't look at the others and kept to themselves and, for the first time, Hermione realised that those Deatheaters rotting away in Azkaban were also fathers and mothers. It was not a nice thought and she chased it away, repeating to herself that they deserved their fate.

Even Harry, who was positively ecstatic during the summer, didn't seem eager to go back to school. As he sat with Hermione and Ron in the compartment, he only smiled at them sadly and Hermione could read the expression on his face: "how is it going to be possible without Dumbledore?" She looked away.

She caught a glimpse of snow-white hair on the platform and she wondered who it belonged to. It was not the sleek, yellowing-white of Malfoy – she saw Malfoy get onto the train already, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle as usual. No, that was unkempt and shiny and she was sure she would have remembered a person with a hair like that. However, she couldn't see it anymore and nobody like that passed by their compartment.

'Sirius said that he couldn't find out who the new teachers will be,' Harry said after a moment of silence. Hermione looked back at him and shrugged. She noticed that Ginny, Neville and Luna joined them as well and she smiled at them half-heartedly. 'Yes, I know that he doesn't need to be told everything, but I'm sure that Malfoy-' he stopped abruptly. Lucius Malfoy was in Azkaban and rumour had it that his wife was mad with grief. The names of the new teachers were probably the last of Draco's worries.

'Hermione, if you will start telling me how I should be sad for the Slytherins, I'll leave,' Ron said, probably noticing Hermione's expression. 'They had it coming.'

'The Deatheaters, yeah,' Hermione agreed. Not their children, she added to herself. She looked out through the window as the train started moving. Parents were waving and Hermione waved back to Mrs Weasley.

'If it was at least Sunday tomorrow, we could enjoy the nice weather,' Ron was saying somewhere in the compartment. Harry echoed his complaint, while Ginny told them that even a week of enjoying the weather wouldn't be enough for them.

'Besides,' she added. 'You spent the whole holidays lazing around so you should be ready to work now. Have you even opened the books once?' she asked. Hermione rolled her eyes, remembering the times when she tried to study while in Grimmaud's Place.

'Exactly,' she agreed with Ginny. 'I'm very happy that it's Monday tomorrow, so we will not have the time to think and worry,' she added almost angrily.

The whole train ride passed in a rather gloomy mood and Hermione was almost relieved to be out in Hogsmeade. At least soon she would have answers to her questions. She would know who the new teachers were and how it felt to have McGonagall as the headmistress. She would be able to meet the friends she hasn't seen for the whole summer and maybe, just maybe, life could go on without Dumbledore and his silly speeches. She did feel sorry for the first-years who would be greeted in the castle by Snape.

That thought made her smile and remember her own first day at Hogwarts. It felt like it happened in a different lifetime and yet, when she entered the Great Hall this time, she felt very much the same. Uncertainty filled her as she looked at the table of the teachers and the sheer vastness of the hall overwhelmed her.

'Without Dumbledore, it's like a first day at school all over again, isn't it?' Harry muttered as they took their seats at the Gryffindor table. Hermione nodded. Snape marched in with forty, outright terrified, first-year students.

'Poor kids to meet that overgrown bat immediately after arriving,' Ron muttered after Snape passed by them. A couple of students giggled at the statement and Hermione grinned. Their Potions teacher might have been the good guy after all, but he certainly got a kick out of terrifying students.

The Sorting Hat was brought forth and Hermione was amazed at how familiar and normal the scene was, despite the surreal feeling of hearing Snape's voice read out the student names. She pretty much ignored the sorting in favour of looking around at the older students.

At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was sitting stiffly, looking like he wished to be anywhere but there. Most of the students at that table looked uncomfortable, although the Phantomhive twins were looking simply bored. Hermione wondered how it was possible that they were twins when Ciel had the bluest of blue eyes and Nezumi's were steel-grey. In general, Hermione thought, yet again, they were not that similar to each other. Nezumi was even taller than Ciel which Hermione thought was not possible if they were twins. The only other twins Hermione knew, the Patil twins, as well as Fred and George, were basically identical to the point of being able to fool people into believing that one was the other.

Well, they are weird anyway, she thought, remembering how she witnessed Gratien threaten another Slytherin student to beat him up if he ever used his name again. Ciel stood next to them, seemingly amused. The student was twice the size of Gratien and yet, from that day on, everybody in Slytherin called Gratien by his chosen nickname, Nezumi. After that incident, the twins didn't do anything memorable, but somehow they failed to fade in the background, at least in Hermione's mind. She supposed that it was because of the mystery of their differing looks and the fact that they hanged out with Safu and Shion, with whom she studied.

Hermione's gaze shifted to the Hufflepuff table, where she knew the fewest students. In all honesty, she had to say that they were mostly the background for feasts and the nameless crowd in the corridors. The only exception was Elizabeth Middleford, who hanged out with the Phantomhive twins, Safu and Shion. Hermione suspected that it was the only reason why she remembered the girl's name.

As far as she could see, she girl didn't change much. She was nearly bubbling with positive energy, smiling at something somebody told her. Hermione remembered that she was one of the lucky ones, one of the pure-bloods that didn't have anybody in their family following Voldemort. She even asked Ron why his parents were not keeping some contact with the Middlefords, but Ron only told her that his parents didn't need to have stuck up friends. She didn't know Elizabeth too well, but sometimes the girl sat with her, Safu and Shion in the library, doing homework, and Hermione thought that she was anything but pretentious.

Finally, Hermione turned to the Ravenclaw table, where Shion and Safu should be sitting. Those two were the ones she missed the most during the summer. They were her "study group" since the first year. It started really innocently, with Hermione asking if she could join their table because everywhere else was full. They let her, of course, being the nice and friendly students they were and, the next time, Hermione actually went straight to their table. At that time, everybody in Gryffindor thought that she was an insufferable know-it-all, but the two Ravenclaws accepted her without a problem. Even after she became friends with Harry and Ron, Hermione often studied with them.

She spotted Safu fast enough, even though the girl was sitting with her back to Hermione, but she couldn't see Shion. It was weird, because they usually kept together and now there was this white-haired person next to Safu.

'Say, do you remember anybody with white hair attending Hogwarts?' Ron asked next to her, his full mouth making the words almost incomprehensible. 'Dean and Seamus pointed him out to me and I've been trying to think who he is,' he added.

'I don't think I remember,' Hermione replied, wincing at Ron's manners. 'I've been wondering if it's easy to dye hair to be this white,' she added, looking at the Gryffindor table for the first time in a long while. A good number of students were looking in the same direction as Ron.

'Why would you want to have white hair anyway? It just looks weird,' Ron commented, having swallowed the food he was eating. Harry, who was sitting opposite to him and Hermione, turned around to look.

'I feel sorry for him, with all the attention he's getting,' he muttered, turning back to his plate. Hermione could hear relief in his voice that, for once, he wasn't the focus of the whole school. At the same moment, the white-haired person turned to Safu and Hermione could see his profile.

'Shion?' she whispered incredulously.


	4. Ch 3: Slow beginnings

**Ch. 3: Slow beginnings**

Sitting next to his adopted brother, Ciel knew that Nezumi was anything but bored, despite the appearances. He was worried. Ciel was worried as well, because Shion has always been rather shy and the sudden attention from just about everybody in the Great Hall must have been hard to stand.

'I wonder how Potter managed that,' he muttered, knowing that Nezumi would follow his trail of thought. They might have not been biological twins, a fact not known in the school, but they could almost read each other's thoughts.

'If you ask Malfoy, he'll tell you that he was basking in the glory,' Nezumi replied emotionlessly. 'He'll also add that you shouldn't put your annoying, royal nose into matters that don't concern you,' he added with a mocking tone in his voice. Ciel and Draco were far from friends. Even if they put on an act for the rest of the school, in Slytherin it was a widely known fact that they hated each other.

'Why do you have to mention that name at all?' Ciel growled, turning to his brother. 'As if I cared what that pompous idiot thinks.' Nezumi, still looking ahead, visibly fought to keep his face impassive.

'You can ask Potter himself,' he suggested in a light tone. They both knew that Potter would not dirty his name by being seen conversing with a Slytherin, especially not one whose mother has been a Deatheater. Ciel pursed his lips as that thought crossed his mind. Two days after Shion's accident, father came back to tell them that mother was taken to Azkaban and would probably not be returning. He told them that she swore to have committed crimes only to protect her husband and two sons, but the Wizengamot wizards have not been particularly understanding.

It still hurt, but Ciel willed himself to not show it. After all, what did he care for the wizards who would condemn him just because of his mother's mistake? His friends didn't turn from him and that was the most important thing. Both Safu and Elizabeth had reacted to the news in a more or less same way as Shion had. He was eternally grateful and he knew that so was Nezumi, even if his brother would rather die than show it.

In the meantime, the sorting finished and headmistress McGonagall got up from her seat, to deliver her speech. Ciel straightened in his, eager to hear what she had to say. He was curious if she would pursue in the path of Dumbledore, who was a good headmaster but all too forgiving, or if she would dare to be her own person. Next to him, Nezumi also focused on the teacher.

'Dear students and teachers,' McGonagall started, her voice only slightly unsure. 'Welcome back to Hogwarts. Welcome for the first time, first-years,' she paused. 'I will not lie to you that nothing has changed, because the loss of Professor Dumbledore and his wisdom is one that cannot be easily compensated for. His sacrifice for us, for our future, should not be forgotten and the best way to remember him is to fulfil his legacy,' she looked at the students, her gaze not stopping on Potter, like Dumbledore's always did. That's a change, Ciel thought with a sarcastic smirk.

'Albus' greatest wish was that we all, the Muggle born wizards alike the pure blood ones, coexist in peace. His wish was that there is no enmity between us and that together we build a future free of terrors alike to that of Lord Voldemort's,' she continued. 'As you learn and strive to attain your own goals, pay some attention to that thought. If we waive the differences that separate us, Albus Dumbledore will never be forgotten,' she paused for a longer moment.

A couple of seats away from Ciel, Draco Malfoy sneered and muttered something to one of his brainless goons. Ciel wasn't surprised that he couldn't even keep the basic politeness of listening to somebody smarter than himself. In fact, it was astonishing that he hadn't said anything for such a long time.

'I am pleased to introduce Professor Snape as my right hand,' McGonagall continued in a more matter-of-fact tone. 'My replacement as the teacher of Transfiguration will be Professor John Smith, who was one of my most talented students,' she pointed to the man. Students clapped politely. 'Simultaneously, your new Defence against the Dark Arts teacher will be Professor Cain Kruspe,' she pointed to another professor. Students clapped again.

Ciel looked at the two professors. Professor Smith had light brown hair and brown eyes, as far as Ciel could see, while the other had black hair and blue eyes. The latter seemed rather strict, while Smith smiled at the students in a friendly way.

'I trust you will do your best to welcome them,' McGonagall continued. 'I will take this moment to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds. Now, enjoy the feast and work hard from tomorrow.'

Students clapped as headmistress McGonagall stepped off the podium and took her place next to Snape. Surprisingly, the latter didn't seem upset at not having his desired position as the Defence against the Dark Arts teacher. Ciel and Nezumi exchanged amused glances as food appeared on the tables. A couple of first-years exclaimed in amazement.

'I never cease to be amazed at the amount of food that people consume here,' Nezumi commented quietly, cutting himself a piece of the meat pie that was in front of him. Ciel pushed his plate towards him to get a piece as well. 'Neither does it cease to amaze me that they can actually stomach pumpkin juice,' his brother added, putting a piece of meat pie on Ciel's plate.

'Thanks,' Ciel muttered, taking his plate back. 'At least we have water to choose from,' he said and accioed a pitcher of the clear liquid, rolling his eyes at the amazed look he got from one of the first-years. Since when did Muggle born wizards get sorted into Slytherin? Not that he had anything against them, but the Hat seemed to think that they didn't belong there.

'I wish we had lessons with Ravenclaw,' Nezumi muttered after a while of silence. Ciel glanced at him and wondered if his brother knew how obvious he was being. For somebody who pretended to not care about anybody, he sure did a lot of caring.

'He will not die,' he said calmly, knowing who was on Nezumi's mind. 'Although lessons with smart people are always preferable,' he added, with a small wince. Not that Gryffindors were stupid, although they certainly had a way to make a show out of themselves, especially when it was Longbottom during Potions. Ciel was amazed that it was possible to be so bad in a subject and still pass.

'I know,' Nezumi replied with a small whine in his voice. 'I never figured why they group the two Houses that hate each other with passion. I can't count the times when I wished to not witness the spitting matches between Malfoy and Potter,' he added, keeping his voice low enough for only Ciel to hear him.

Before Ciel had the time to reply, one of the older students asked them how their holidays were and they spent the rest of the welcoming feast on pleasant, idle chatter, catching up with the people who were on their side in the Malfoy-Phantomhive argument. Funnily enough, the House was divided almost exactly in half.

})i({

The next morning, Ciel and Nezumi ignored the Slytherin table, as they did many times over the years of their studies. Safu and Shion were already having breakfast, so they went up to them, knowing that Elizabeth would join them eventually. Unsurprisingly, Shion had a scarf wrapped tightly around his throat, despite the warm and sunny weather.

'You're going to pretend to have a cold for the whole year?' Ciel asked, instead of "good morning", when they reached Shion and Safu and took their seats. The white-haired boy blushed slightly and looked down.

'I think I kind of get enough attention for my hair and my eyes,' he mumbled while Safu shot Ciel an angry glare. Ciel could sympathise with her emotions, but Shion had enough of compassion from her and he needed to snap out of feeling sorry for himself. Did all the pep talks from Nezumi about survival not work at all? Did all of Nezumi's effort, to convince Shion that it was kind of sexy to have a snake wrapped around his body, not bring any result?

'Well, what do you care about them?' Nezumi asked with irritation, grabbing a toast. 'What do they know anyway?' Shion shrugged, still looking down.

'Hello,' Elizabeth greeted them cheerfully and hugged them all, one by one. A couple of students looked at them with surprise as they went by. When they passed, Nezumi whistled quietly and his three mice jumped onto the table and attacked the toast on his plate.

'Hamlet, Cravat, Tsukiyo,' Elizabeth and Shion, who momentarily forgot to be miserable, greeted the mice in unison, smiles on their faces. Tsukiyo went up to Shion and tickled his finger, before returning to the toast. Safu looked like she wanted to say something about mice on the table, but restrained herself in the last moment. Nezumi leaned against the table, so that nobody could see the mice, because they didn't need any girl squealing in fright. He took another toast and munched on it while Elizabeth and Safu exchanged the gossip they heard the previous evening.

'Amazing,' Ciel muttered, shaking his head. He could never understand girls, worse – he couldn't even understand why he was subjecting himself to their chatter. He turned to Shion, who seemed to be in a better mood. 'I wonder how the new teachers will be,' he said, wishing for a conversation. The snow-haired Ravenclaw glanced up at him.

'I have never heard about either of them,' he replied thoughtfully. 'Although I suppose that McGonagall wouldn't have chosen incompetent people,' he added.

'As opposed to Dumbledore, when he hired Lockheart?' Nezumi pointed out, making Shion chuckle quietly. Ciel rolled his eyes at the very memory. That particular teacher was more than a disaster. 'At least the girls had a good year,' Nezumi added mockingly.

'And we will have this year as well,' Elizabeth laughed, obviously hearing their conversation. 'Me and Safu already shared so that we don't have to fight,' she added. Ciel looked at her and then at Safu, who was giggling in a completely uncharacteristic manner.

'You shared?' Nezumi asked, mocking tone evident in his voice. He didn't have time to say anything more, because Snape came by, giving out the schedules with a sour expression on his face. Ciel thought that it will be weird to get used to some of the changes that happened.

'What are you doing here?' the professor sneered at Ciel and Nezumi as he handed Safu and Shion their schedules. Nezumi looked up with a smug smile.

'Why, professor, we are uniting to fulfil professor Dumbledore's greatest wish,' he said with a tone that was so perfectly free from mocking that Ciel knew Snape would never buy it. Wordlessly, their head of House pulled two Slytherin schedules and one Hufflepuff schedule. Then he went on and Ciel looked down to see how the week would go.

'We still have lessons with Gryffindors,' he pointed out with some disappointment. 'And we start with Transfiguration,' he added, wondering if Professor Smith would be anything alike McGonagall. Elizabeth giggled in excitement because her first lesson was with Professor Kruspe and apparently she fancied him more. Ciel winced.

'Don't worry Ciel,' Elizabeth said, probably noticing his wince. 'I love you best,' she added and Ciel, much to his humiliation, felt a blush creep up his cheeks. Nezumi looked away, obviously trying to not laugh, while Shion grinned.

'But then we exchange with the Slytherins and we get Professor Smith,' Safu enthused. 'Shall we go? We shouldn't be late for the first lesson,' she added.

'You're right!' Shion exclaimed, noticing the time. Both he and Safu, both Muggle born, took their studies very seriously. Vincent always told his sons that they should follow their example. Nezumi's mice jumped into his backpack as he moved to get up.


	5. Ch 4: Teachers

**Ch. 4: Teachers**

Walking towards the classroom, Hermione noticed that Malfoy was already there with his goons. He saw them and sneered. She felt more than saw Harry tense up and she wished there was a way to avoid what would inevitably happen. Ron clenched his hands into fists.

'Just ignore him,' Hermione whispered. If she expected that, after Voldemort's death, things would change, she was deeply disappointed. Already on the train, Harry managed to bump into Malfoy and get into an insult-throwing competition. Afterwards, when they were on the way to their common room after the welcoming feast, Malfoy managed to cast a tripping spell on Ron and half the corridor laughed when the red-head fell on the floor with no apparent reason.

'Afraid of a little, blond boy?' asked a cold, mocking tone behind them. Hermione didn't turn, knowing who it was. It crossed her head that the voice was making fun of them as much as it was of Malfoy and she filed it away for further investigation. Ron, on the other hand, turned and spit out a vague insult of the speaker's mother, but the cold voice only laughed. There was an edge to that laughter that made the hairs on Hermione's neck stand, an edge that said "one more word and I'll make sure you'll never speak again".

'Why do you always let everybody provoke you?' she hissed to Ron.

'He's obviously making up in empty talk what he doesn't have in his empty pocket,' Malfoy sneered for they were near enough to him to have heard the exchange. He glared briefly at the Phantomhive twins who were behind Hermione as well and she added that observation to her new mystery. Could it be that the Slytherins were not as united as they appeared to be?

'At least I don't have an empty house, without a father,' Ron shot back, ignoring Hermione's steadying hand on his shoulder. The temperature dropped by a couple degrees. The twins, now standing with the rest of the Slytherins, glared at Ron as well and Hermione remembered that their mother was in Azkaban as well.

'No, your house is overflowing with filth,' Malfoy hissed furiously. Somebody behind shouted "show him Ron!" as Pansy Parkinson, whose father was together with the old Malfoy, glared in the general direction of Gryffindors and sneered that they were not worth the dirt under their feet and much less their attention. Ron was ready to charge.

'What is this commotion?' asked a voice behind Hermione and they all looked at Professor Smith, standing rather close to them. 'I have been informed that this particular class is very difficult and I hope that you boys were not about to start a fight.'

'Of course not, Professor,' Malfoy said immediately. Ron lowered his fist a tiny bit too late and the teacher looked at him for a long moment. Hermione could see Malfoy's lips twitching up in what would be a cold smirk if the teacher wasn't there. Oh, how she hated that boy!

'Good,' the teacher said and the door to the classroom opened. 'Then you will not be bothered by sitting in mixed couples for my lessons. I have been told not only that you dislike each other, but that you like to disrupt lessons with whispers and that you enjoy copying each other's work,' he continued speaking as the students filed into the classroom.

'Must have talked with Snape,' Ron muttered to Harry and Hermione.

'Exactly, Mr Weasley,' the teacher said smoothly. 'Furthermore, headmistress McGonagall thinks that the teachers should enforce stricter rules for your sake. I have thus allowed myself to place you randomly at the tables to minimise the disturbances and cheating,' he added and waved his wand lightly. Sparkles shot out from the tip of his wand and descended to all the desks, forming nametags.

'Please find your seats and let us start with the lesson,' he said and walked into the classroom. He didn't pause until he was on his place and he turned to them, waiting for them to find their seats. Not wasting time, Hermione found her name, breathing in relief when she found herself sitting next to Nezumi, rather than Malfoy or one of his goons. In front of her, Nezumi's brother was sitting with Harry. For a moment she couldn't find Ron, but then she realised that he was sitting in the front row with none other than Malfoy. She wondered if the teacher did it on purpose or whether the seats were really random.

She glanced at Nezumi. He was looking at the teacher unwaveringly, seeming to ignore her presence entirely. She wasn't sure if she should be upset or relieved and decided that it was better than mocking sneers she knew Malfoy would treat her to. The teacher started talking, introducing himself and telling them a bit about his history and Hermione focused on him.

He proceeded quickly to tell them what he expected and, as Hermione moved to take notes, she realised with some shock that Nezumi was also writing something down. Could it be that there were other students who were as thorough as her? He caught her looking and smirked mockingly. She looked away, blushing furiously, focusing on her notebook as the teacher went about the main challenges that awaited them that year. Already this year, the teacher said, we will tackle the problems that will be relevant to your final examinations.

He finished the lesson by announcing that the next week he will test the abilities of every student, one by one, to see for himself what needed to be worked on. Hermione looked up at him in surprise, noticing, with the corner of her eye, that Nezumi seemed caught off-guard as well.

'What are you all looking like that for?' Professor Smith asked with a laugh. 'NEWTs test your theoretical knowledge as much as they test the practical skills. I imagine that you all are eager to pass with flying colours and I need to know what to do to help you.'

That is, of course, perfectly reasonable, Hermione thought. She realised that she liked the guy already and, when they were out moments later, she said as much to Harry and Ron. They didn't seem surprised, but neither were they enthusiastic about the one on one practical test that their teacher promised.

'To think that I will need to study already on the first week,' Ron complained before launching into a long tirade about how insufferable Malfoy was to sit next to. When he asked them, Harry only muttered that Ciel Phantomhive ignored him and Hermione shrugged her shoulders. All in all, she was pretty lucky, she thought, remembering that she would have ended with Parkinson or Crabbe or Goyle.

They passed by the sixth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and Hermione waved at Safu and Shion. They waved back at her and Hermione made a mental note to ask them if they would meet up to study on Sunday as usual. She had a feeling that, by the time the first week would end, she would really be in a mood to be away from Harry and Ron and their complaints about the workload.

Her feeling intensified when Professor Cain Kruspe welcomed them, in his classroom, with a test. At least he didn't separate them into random pairs with the Slytherins, Hermione thought, knowing that her luck from Transfiguration might not have held. She looked down at the paper in front of her and smiled slightly. The first question was so easy! Next to her, Ron flipped through all the pages, making disgruntled noises. Harry was doing the same, on her other side, minus the noises. Hermione glanced around the classroom to see most of the students busy with the test.

'It's the first lesson,' Ron protested finally. Hermione looked at him in surprise and then at the teacher. The silence was so deep that she imagined everybody held their breaths. A glare of the blue, cold eyes made Ron shrink back in his seat.

'That is a very deep observation, Mr Weasley,' the teacher said, sarcasm obvious in his voice. In the back of the classroom, Malfoy snickered. The teacher ignored him. 'You see, Mr Weasley, your progress in the Defence against the Dark Arts classes has hardly been recorded at all and thus I am forced to commence by checking just what is in those heads of yours,' he continued calmly, eyes not leaving Ron. 'Headmistress McGonagall was very insistent on the fact that you need to receive suitable education, so that you can pursue your professional goals. I assume you do have ambitions, Mr Weasley?' he asked. Malfoy said something that Hermione couldn't quite understand. 'I assume you also have some ambitions, Mr Malfoy, so get back to writing the test,' the teacher said drily and Hermione smirked, looking down to hide it.

The rest of the lesson passed by in silence and the whole trip to the Great Hall, for lunch, Hermione was gritting her teeth to not say anything mean to Ron. As soon as they arrived, she excused herself and rushed over to the Ravenclaw table. Safu and Shion jumped in surprise when she sat next to them.

'I thought you preferred to eat at your table,' Safu commented with a grin. Hermione rolled her eyes and said that she simply wanted to ask a question. 'Tell me!' Safu exclaimed. 'Who is cuter?'

'What?' Hermione blinked at her. Shion rolled his eyes and Hermione realised, with some shock, that they were bright violet. Was he wearing contact lenses suddenly? And what's with the scarf? She was itching to ask.

'Kruspe or Smith!' Safu exclaimed as though it was an obvious question. Oh, was all Hermione could think for a moment. Shion chuckled.

'She's been at it since yesterday,' he told her. At least his voice didn't change, Hermione thought. 'She asked all the Ravenclaw girls and Elizabeth is supposed to ask all the Hufflepuff girls,' he added, sounding amused.

'And Nezumi's gonna ask all the Slytherin girls?' Hermione asked before she could stop herself. The other two looked at her for a moment and erupted with laughter. She couldn't help a grin that spread across her face when they were nearly crying, they laughed so hard. Some people were looking at them weirdly, but they seemed to be beyond caring.

'Oh, I have to tell him that,' Shion said finally, regaining control over himself and tightening the scarf around his neck. He giggled a bit more. Hermione wondered if Nezumi would be so amused to be compared to a girl. She hoped he will forget that before the next Transfiguration lesson.

'Seriously thought, which one?' Safu insisted when she too calmed down.

'Uh, Smith I guess?' Hermione said uncertainly.

'Yes!' Safu exclaimed. 'I knew I have a better taste than Elizabeth. It's four to two in my count,' she added and jumped a little on her seat before putting some lunch on her plate and telling Shion that he needed to eat as well. 'So what was your question?' she asked, focusing back on Hermione, who was a little bit thrown off balance by the abrupt topic changes. Then again, she has gotten used to those when dealing with Safu. Hermione almost said that she had a ton of questions but the suddenly apprehensive look that crossed Shion's face stopped the words from coming.

'I just wanted to know if you guys are up to some studying on Sunday as usual,' she said instead. 'If the weather is nice we could even go outside and practice Transfiguration of stuff for next week. Did Smith also tell you that he would do a practical test?' she asked. Safu nodded.

'That sounds like a great idea,' Shion said. 'Shall we say after lunch?' he asked her. Hermione nodded with a smile. She was about to say something when the Phantomhive twins arrived and Shion's face lit up in, what Hermione quickly realised, was quite a twisted smile. Not wanting to be present when Shion told Nezumi about her joke, she excused herself and went back to the Gryffindor table.

'Running away from the Slytherins?' Ron asked with a smirk. 'I have no idea why those guys hang out with them,' he added. Hermione shrugged. The little group was perhaps the most noticeable group of friends but, by the time they reached the fifth year, Hermione realised that many students formed friendships that overpassed the House boundaries.

'I just wanted to know if I have somebody to study with on Sunday,' she said, sitting down and starting on her lunch. If possible, she would like to have a moment or two with the Ancient Runes book before the next lesson. Duh, she thought, I have Runes with Shion and Safu, I didn't need to go and ask them now.

'What's wrong with studying with us?' Ron complained. 'Do you have to study with other guys?' he asked. Snapped out of her thoughts that were already circling around Runes, Hermione blinked at him a few times, before the meaning of his words filtered through. He rolled his eyes at her.

'Why this question all of the sudden?' she asked back. 'I've been studying with them since the first year,' she added. Ron looked unhappy. 'I told you guys that you could join countless times, but you always had other stuff to do.'

'It's not that we always had other stuff to do,' Harry corrected her with a grin. 'It's just that there is a limit of how stupid we want to feel in the company and everybody knows that Ravenclaws are the smartest students, except for you of course,' he added, making Hermione roll her eyes, even as a smile twisted her lips.

'You said that,' she replied with a giggle and pulled out a book. Ron muttered something about her lack of friendliness and Hermione frowned at him. What the hell was wrong with that guy suddenly? She looked at Harry for a hint, but her best friend looked away, suddenly fascinated with the food on his plate. She shrugged and opened the book, taking a bite of the toast.

She didn't pay attention to the person sitting next to her, fully expecting it to be Ginny, but, when the person giggled slightly, she realised her mistake and looked up into Safu's brown eyes. She raised an eyebrow in question.

'Just thought that I'd tell you,' Safu said in a conspiratorial whisper. 'Next Sunday is Shion's birthday, so we're planning to make a surprise for him. I thought you might want to know, even though we can meet for studying as normal. I can tell the guys to come later and you're most welcomed to stay,' she explained. Hermione's eyes widened slightly, but then she nodded, wondering what she should buy as a gift. 'I'll make Nezumi promise to not make you pay for that joke. I think Ciel might help because he loved it,' she added.

'Hey, what's with those threats?' Ron, who must have heard part of what Safu said, asked in an irritated voice. Safu and Hermione looked at him in surprised then shared a look together before realisation struck Hermione.

'Go back to eating Ronald,' she said. 'Nobody's threatening anybody.'

'I better go before Shion grows suspicious,' Safu said. 'See you in a while,' she added and left the table. Ron's eyes followed her. Hermione could swear that Harry whispered something along the lines of "she's a girl, so you don't have to be jealous" to Ron. She blinked. Was Ron jealous of people she spent time with?


	6. Ch 5: Birthday

**Happy Easter ;) Next chapter will come the 2nd or 3rd of April**

* * *

**Ch. 5: Birthday**

The rest of the week was pretty much like Hermione had predicted. Ancient Runes were just as interesting as she had hoped for them to be and Potions were as painful as she had feared. It seemed like being recognised as the good wizard didn't do anything to change Snape's behaviour towards the students. He still favoured the Slytherins visibly and he still sneered at Neville's attempts at potions. Besides that, the only exceptional event was Seamus blowing a charm into his face on their Wednesday's lesson of Charms.

All the teachers repeated the same mantra of being strict and trying to teach the students better for their own sakes. Hermione, of course, agreed with them and saw no problem in stricter teachers or more careful attitude towards homework and copying from others. Ron and Harry, of course, were not as enthusiastic. They were not happy that essays would now be checked to make sure that they did not contain chapters from the book or parts of other student's essays.

Hermione ignored most of their complaints, knowing that she will end up helping them with their essays anyway because they were her best friends and she couldn't say no. She worked, every evening, as usual. She ordered a book about Ancient Viking Runes for Shion, having heard that he was interested in the subject and having made sure that it wasn't the gift he was already getting from somebody else. She hoped for the nice weather to hold until the weekend.

The book arrived on Thursday, wrapped in blue paper with bronze ribbon. Harry, Ron and Ginny showered her with millions of questions about it that evening. What is it? Who is it for? Why is she giving a gift to some dude? That last one was Ron and Hermione started to put pieces together in her head. She wasn't sure if she was flattered or terrified with the idea of Ron fancying her, but she started to see the other boy in a different light.

By lunchtime on Sunday, however, she has had more than enough of the complaints, the lessons, homework and her persistent thoughts. She almost felt like she was suffocating. She ate her lunch with the speed that made even Ron look up in surprise and, checking that she had the book for Shion with her, all but ran out of the castle, happy that the nice weather held.

Once out, she twirled around and laughed, soaking in the autumn sun. She heard laughter behind her and turned to see Safu and Shion, walking up to her. She grinned at them, noticing that Shion was still wearing a scarf tightly wrapped around his neck. It seemed a bit weird on such a warm day. Hermione had even left her jumper and scarf in the dormitory, only taking the cloak in case it got windy.

'Are you having a cold?' she asked when they were close enough so that she didn't need to scream. Shion seemed confused, so she pointed towards the scarf. 'It is way too warm to wear one yet,' she added. Shion's hand travelled to the scarf slowly, as the boy blushed slightly. Either he got paler over the summer, Hermione though, or he blushes much easier than before.

'Uh, yeah,' he said without conviction.

'You could go to Madame Pomfrey,' she suggested, genuinely worried. 'I'm sure she can give you something if the cold doesn't go away,' she added, wondering why Shion looked more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment.

'He's one stubborn guy, who thinks he doesn't need to take advice from friends,' Safu cut in suddenly. 'Don't you think I didn't tell him to go to Madame Pomfrey every day this week?' she asked rhetorically. Hermione smiled at her mother-like anger, wondering if Shion realised just how infatuated Safu was.

'Would you stop?' Shion complained in a whiny tone, but Hermione thought that he didn't really sound as irritated as he should be if Safu has been pestering him about that matter for the whole week. She decided to let the matter drop and asked where they should go to sit, suspecting that Safu had everything planned out. Safu was one of those girls who didn't like to leave anything to chance and the possibility that the other guys would not be able to find them surely wasn't allowed into the day's plan.

'I was thinking we could sit somewhere close to the lake if it's not too windy,' Safu suggested with the tone saying "I know it's not too windy". Shion smiled and mentioned that he loved the lake.

'It's almost like a sea, that lake,' he said on their way. 'If there was anything I envied the ones, who took part in the Triwizarding Tournament, it is that they got to dive into the lake,' he added and told them about what they should be able to find there. Underwater environments were so mysterious, he said, flooding them with facts about the life in the oceans.

'When do you have time to read this kind of things?' Hermione asked when he stopped talking and she realised that it was all Muggle knowledge. Shion shrugged.

'During the summer mostly,' he said. 'During the school year I'm too busy with all the homework we have and all the other stuff I need to keep up with if I want to go to the university after this school,' he added. Hermione stopped and looked at him, eyes wide.

'University?' she repeated. 'You mean Muggle University?' she asked to be sure. Shion giggled a little.

'You, out of all the people, I would have thought wanted the same,' he said plainly. 'But yeah, I want to go to Muggle University and study ecology. That means I have to catch up with a lot of material from Muggle schools, but thankfully dad is keeping himself up to date with school, being a teacher and all. He buys all the books I should read and I spend loads of time during the summer catching up. That's why I don't have time to read the school books ahead, like you two do,' he explained.

They reached the spot Safu chose for them and Hermione dropped to the ground, surprised at what she heard. Until now, the thought of returning to Muggle life never occurred to her and she felt silly. After all: why not?

'That's a lot of work,' she pointed out, noticing that Safu manoeuvred the situation so that Shion was sitting with his back towards the castle. She would have to commend the girl later on. 'To catch up with everything I mean.'

'Yeah, we learn totally different stuff here,' Shion agreed. 'I'm rather behind on physics, for example, but I should not need it for the university,' he trailed off and smiled. 'What are you planning to do after the school?' he asked.

'I have no idea really,' Hermione muttered. Until now her goal was to study everything that the school had to offer, to the best of her abilities. She figured that, with the grades she had, she could do just about everything. 'Are there ways to continue magical subjects after Hogwarts?' she asked.

'Sure,' Shion answered without hesitation. 'You can take apprenticeship with one of the teachers for one. Otherwise I know that you have advanced studies in Potions for example, that's how you become a Potions Master like Snape,' he said. Not for the first time, Hermione wondered how a Muggle born like her had so much more knowledge about the magical world than she could ever hope to have.

'What are you planning to do?' she asked Safu, who smiled slightly.

'I'll aim to be a Healer I suppose. I read a couple of books last summer and I think I could be interested in medical research and I heard that you can combine it with being a Healer,' she replied. Hermione looked away, thoughtful. What was it that she wanted to do?

'I suppose something with Numerology and Runes would be interesting,' she said after a while and looked at her Ravenclaw friends. They both smiled at her. 'I never thought about it actually, but wouldn't it be cool to discover something?' They laughed. Then Shion tilted his head to the sun with a smile. Safu looked at him with fondness and Hermione had to smile, although the expression vanished when she saw something red on Shion's neck. Was that strangulation marks? Her eyes widened at the very thought and she noticed that Safu was looking at her carefully. She was about to say something, but Safu shook her head.

'Shall we try the transfiguration?' the Ravenclaw girl asked and Shion looked back at them, still smiling. 'I brought a couple of random things and we can give each other tasks into what they should be changed,' Safu suggested.

'That sounds like a plan,' Hermione agreed, her mind still preoccupied with whatever it was that she saw. Suddenly Shion's behaviour from before was understandable, but she wasn't sure she was relieved. She found out soon enough, however, that she needed to clear her mind of those thoughts if she wanted to keep up with Shion and Safu in Transfiguration.

They started simple: needle into a pin, pin into a safety-pin and safety pin back to the needle. Then Safu pulled out and apple that turned into a pear, then into a carrot and back into an apple. Eventually they all tried to transfigure a dead object into a small animal. As her bee flew away, Hermione collapsed onto her back, looking up at the sky.

'I think we're good,' she laughed, enjoying the sun on her face. Shion and Safu agreed and then Safu charmed her wand to produce soap bubbles. Hermione laughed again, amazed, and asked to learn the spell. She even sat back up to see what move Safu would make with her wand, but they were disturbed by Ciel, Nezumi and Elizabeth all but jumping on Shion, making him shout in surprise.

'Surprise,' Elizabeth squealed and laughed at the indignant look on Shion's face, probably in response to be surprised like that. She kissed him on both cheeks and wished him all the best before making space for Ciel, who patted Shion's back and dropped a package on Shion's lap, saying his wishes that were more serious than those of Elizabeth. Hermione took that time to fish out the book she bought out of her bag.

'What though the radiance which was once so bright Be not forever taken from my sight, Though nothing can bring back the hour Of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; Grief not, rather find, Strength in what remains behind,' Nezumi recited with a melodic voice and Hermione's jaw dropped. She would have never thought Nezumi to be one to recite poetry. However, judging by the contemplative smile with which Shion turned to Nezumi, Hermione guessed that it was nothing unusual.

'Don't forget about us,' Safu said. She had a smile on her face, but Hermione thought that she didn't sound entirely happy. However, she kissed Shion on both cheeks, just like Elizabeth did, and whispered something to him. He smiled at her and turned to Hermione who, feeling a bit out of place, wished him all the best and leaned to kiss his cheek as well.

'Thank you,' Shion said finally, sounding genuinely happy, and hugged the gifts to his chest.

'We have a cake as well,' Nezumi pointed out and Elizabeth produced the cake from nowhere seemingly. It was perfectly shaped and covered in what Hermione strongly suspected was white chocolate. On the top, in cherries half sunken into the chocolate, it was written "Happy birthday Shion".

'Let me guess,' Shion said, grinning at Nezumi. 'Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog,' he said with a laugh.

'Nope, Lizzy and Safu baked this one,' Nezumi shot back, not missing a beat. Hermione blinked. 'I think it is a cherry cake.'

'Hey, that was from Shakespeare's Macbeth,' she said. Everybody turned at her and she felt a blush creep up her face at the sudden attention.

'Indeed it was,' Nezumi agreed. 'Ten points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger. Twenty if you know the author of the previous quote,' he added. Hermione tried to think if she heard it, but finally she shook her head in surrender.

'Ah, I'm disappointed,' Ciel muttered. 'Rumour had it that you knew everything,' he added and although his voice wasn't exactly cheerful or joking, Hermione could detect no mocking in his words. For a Slytherin, he was even polite, she thought.

'Wasn't it William Wordsworth?' Shion asked. Hermione recognised the name of a Muggle poet and her eyes widened when Nezumi proclaimed that Ravenclaw earned ten points as well. Elizabeth suggested that they have the cake and Safu magicked six plates into existence.

'Wait,' Hermione started. 'How does a pure-blood wizard like you know Muggle classics?' she asked, remembering that Phantomhives were at least as important a family as Malfoys were. Nezumi smirked but it was Shion who answered.

'He spends half of the summer in my dad's library,' he said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. 'Before we went to Hogwarts he spent even more time there, much to my dad's joy,' he added while Elizabeth cut six pieces out of the deliciously looking cake.

'You knew each other before Hogwarts?' Hermione asked, accepting a plate of the cake with muttered thanks. Almost automatically, she transfigured a blade of grass into a spoon. 'I thought you were Muggle born,' she added, looking at Shion.

'I am,' he confirmed. 'My mom was doing business with their fathers, em, father,' he explained with a tiny blush. Hermione didn't miss his slip, but decided to keep it for later investigation. 'She still is really,' Shion added. Safu bit her lower lip.

'Besides, we have always been neighbours,' Ciel kicked in calmly. 'Father knew that Shion was going to be a wizard since he managed to change the colour of his pram when he was just a bit over one year old,' he added and described the event. Hermione could see that it was a joke often repeated, because Elizabeth and Safu were butting in with comments and Shion was blushing like there was no tomorrow. She had to laugh.

'Anyhow,' Nezumi took up the story. 'Father thought that we,' he motioned at himself and Ciel. 'Should hang out with Shion and teach him some about the wizarding world in exchange for learning about the Muggle world. He wasn't very fond at the idea of his sons making fools of themselves in front of Muggle born Hogwarts' students,' he added. Try as she might, Hermione couldn't detect any aversion in his voice.

'I thought that pure bloods don't really like Muggle borns,' she spoke the words before she was able to stop herself.

'That's interesting, considering how you hang out with Weasley all the time,' Ciel pointed out in a slightly mocking tone. Hermione bit her lower lip and looked at the cake piece on her plate. Inside it had three layers of dark cake, separated by white cream with cherries and she really had to focus on the conversation, even though she wasn't sure how to continue.

'Well, Ron said,' she started and trailed off.

'That his family is exceptional?' Nezumi asked, irony clearly audible in his voice. 'How pretentious of him,' he added. Hermione felt that she needed to defend her friend.

'You know, with the experience of Malfoy and Parkinson, it's not that hard to believe him either,' she said hotly. Ciel winced slightly, while Elizabeth smiled.

'Now you know,' she said. 'My family doesn't have anything against Muggle born wizards either,' she added. 'Maybe it will make your experience in Hogwarts nicer to know.' Hermione wanted to ask her how she could know that, but Elizabeth answered before she could speak. She said that Shion and Safu were not that comfortable with Malfoy's attitude either, even though the blond Slytherin mostly ignored them.

'So,' Hermione looked at Elizabeth and Safu. 'I know how those three got to know each other, but how do you fit into the picture?' she asked. Much to her surprise, Ciel blushed and said that Elizabeth was his fiancée. Hermione's eyes were probably as wide as saucers when she heard it and she almost missed Elizabeth reminding Ciel to call her Lizzy.

'Nothing as shocking about me,' Safu commented. 'I simply met Shion on the first day of school and we somehow got along. Then he introduced me to those two brats and Lizzy and here we are,' she added with a laugh. Then she took a spoonful of cake and Hermione realised she hasn't yet tried the cake. She quickly corrected that mistake, her eyes closing in bliss at the delicious taste. Together with the sun warming her back, Hermione was sure that it would make one of the best memories of her life.

'So tell us how you got to hang out with Weasley and Potter,' Ciel asked after a moment, during which they all enjoyed the cake. 'Safu and Shion had said it hasn't been from the very beginning,' he added. Unwillingly, Hermione thought back to her first days in Hogwarts, when the only people she could even begin to call friends were Shion and Safu. She shook those thoughts off and told them the story of the cave troll in the girl's bathroom.

They were perfect audience. Lizzy, Safu and Shion gasped in all the right moments, while the Phantomhive twins came up with witty commentaries, making everybody laugh. Before she realised, Hermione was telling them the best of the moments of her friendship with Ron and Harry. They have heard, of course, of their most famous exploits, like the Chamber of Secrets, or stopping Quirrel from getting the Philosopher's Stone, but there were many more, smaller stories that made up everyday life that Hermione shared, listening to stories from the others in exchange.

Only when the sun was low and the wind became chilly, did they move, gathering everything and making their way towards the castle.


	7. Ch 6: Secrets

**Ch. 6: Secrets**

The nice weather from Shion's birthday degraded day by day in the following week and, by the time the weekend came, it was pouring rain. Nezumi insisted they go running on Saturday morning anyway, much to Ciel's annoyance, and it added to Ciel's other reasons as to why the second week of school was even worse than the first one.

For one, half of the students failed the Transfiguration test in their class. Ciel wasn't worried about that one, however, and as he expected, he passed well enough to not be the subject of their teacher's anger. Nezumi did a bit worse, but still acceptable and who would worry when Weasley and Potter failed miserably? However, the consequence of that was a copious homework for everybody. He still hadn't quite finished it and it seemed like he was going to be forced to join Shion and Safu in the library that afternoon.

To add to his worries, Ciel fully expected that his results from Snape's sudden test on safety and hazards in a potions classroom would be worse than Nezumi's. His brother has always been better in Potions, probably partly because he didn't mind getting his hands dirty. Ciel hated getting his hands dirty, so he hated Potions almost as much as he hated Herbology, although at least in Potions it helped to be careful. Nevertheless, when Snape announced that it has been brought to his attention that they had never "documented their knowledge of emergency proceedings", Ciel wished that Shion was sitting next to him. He fully expected the Ravenclaw to have all the "emergency proceedings" memorised, like everything else he thought was useful and he considered all safety matters useful. Even Nezumi didn't seem happy with the sudden test and most of the class was horrified.

At least, Ciel thought, when he and Nezumi were walking back to their dormitory, dripping wet after their running, the Defence against the Dark Arts test went well. Oh, most of the students did badly, but Ciel's and Nezumi's scores almost rivalled that of Hermione's and Professor Kruspe was much fairer than Professor Smith and gave them homework depending on their results.

'I don't know why I bother following you,' Ciel complained, slightly out of breath. Nezumi, walking next to him, shot him a mocking smirk.

'Because you know I'm right,' he replied smugly. The corridors were deserted, since it was still very early and only the other students who went running were out. While they were quite a few in the older years, most of them have only started running now, so they weren't around. Ciel was grateful, because he was sure he looked thoroughly undignified for an heir to the Phantomhive family.

'And if Shion laughs once today, I'm going to drag him by that pretty, white hair of his to run with us tomorrow,' he continued complaining, ignoring Nezumi's smugness. 'Or I will shoot you in the leg so that you cannot run,' he added, making his brother laugh.

'You are a sore loser, Ciel,' Nezumi mocked him, earning a glare. Ciel promised himself to get back at his brother for that. Maybe he could transfigure his underwear into girl's one? He did it once and it was well worth the risk. He smirked to himself as they turned the last corner on the way to Slytherin common room. He was ready to take his wand out when, suddenly, Nezumi stopped as though he bumped into somebody and Ron Weasley appeared splattered on the floor, much to Ciel's shock. What the hell? Where did he come from?

'Watch where you're going, weasel,' Nezumi sneered, covering up his surprise.

'Watch where you're going yourself, rat,' Ron spat back, getting up as he talked. He looked Nezumi up and down. 'What did you do? Swim in the sewer or something?' he asked.

'You would know all about scouring the sewers, now, wouldn't you?' Nezumi asked back with a disdainful tone. The Gryffindor looked like he was going to attack, fist raised and all, but he only twitched weirdly and stayed on spot. Ciel raised an eyebrow at his weird behaviour.

'Seriously,' Ciel muttered and nudged Nezumi to go on. His brother followed his lead and they quickly disappeared into the common room. 'I wonder what Weasley was doing in the dungeons at this hour,' he muttered as they made their way to the dormitory. Nezumi shrugged. 'He wasn't alone either, was he?'

'No, it looked like someone held him back before he could charge,' his brother agreed lightly, taking a towel and heading towards the showers. 'He's so explosive when one insults his family, or if he even imagines his family insulted. This kind of insecurity must be hard to carry around,' he added. 'Lucky for him that he has smart friends.'

'I suppose it was Potter. It is rumoured that he has an Invisibility Cloak,' Ciel commented, smirking. Although of course that meant that Malfoy hadn't been paranoid when he talked about Potter, he thought. Speaking of Malfoy, he remembered. 'Since when did you call him "weasel"?'

'Weasel, ferret,' Nezumi muttered. 'What difference does that make?' he asked back. They both found it amusing how similar the animals looked. 'I don't appreciate people bumping into me and, when those people are sneaking around in places that should not concern them, I like them even less,' he added. Ciel wondered briefly if he was talking about Weasley or Malfoy, because both fitted the description perfectly. Without further hesitation, they took a shower each and dressed up to go for breakfast.

Some twenty minutes later, Ciel was helping himself to some food in the nearly abandoned Great Hall. It was still quite early in the morning and most students opted to sleep in during the weekends. As it was, only the two of them were sitting at the Slytherin table and there was only one person sitting at the Gryffindor table: Hermione Granger. She was reading a book, oblivious to the jam dripping from her toast to her plate.

With a quiet snort, Ciel glanced at the couple of Ravenclaw students and then at Nezumi, reading the newspaper next to him. They only got one to share and usually Nezumi was faster to grab it, so Ciel simply waited for him to tell him if there was something worth his attention. As every day, Nezumi would call him lazy and Ciel would shot back that he was managing his resources well. They didn't even realise how repetitive they were in their morning routing, until Lizzy mentioned it last year.

A couple of meters away Ciel's black cat, Sebastian, was mock-chasing Nezumi's mice. The three little things were making a racket, squeaking and screeching as they took turns in trying to bite Sebastian's tail. Ciel found it amazing that his cat allowed such things to happen, even if all four animals took obvious pleasure in the antics.

He sat straighter in his chair when he noticed a red cat close by, looking like he wouldn't mind to eat a mouse. He recognised it as Hermione's Crookshanks and was about to tell Nezumi to call his mice back, when Sebastian turned to the cat. His playful manner was gone in a split of a second and the hairs on his back were standing as he hissed at Crookshanks. Ciel nudged Nezumi and pointed towards the two cats. The mice were looking at them as well.

'Are you going to let Sebastian attack?' Nezumi asked with some worry. Ciel smirked. His cat was smaller than Crookshanks and thinner, but he had no doubt who would be the winner if they fight. Sebastian was quite a demon cat when he wanted to be, as the students, who stepped onto his tail by mistake, found out painfully. He also had red eyes, which freaked everybody out and were the reason why Ciel picked the black kitten as his pet.

'Would you stop him?' he asked back. Nezumi whistled at his mice and they jumped onto the table obediently. Ciel knew that he cared about his mice more than he cared about most human beings. It was only lucky that Sebastian got on well with Hamlet, Cravat and Tsukiyo, because otherwise Ciel couldn't imagine how he and Nezumi would ever get along.

'I would not miss the show for anything,' Nezumi replied calmly and Ciel smirked again.

Unfortunately, students arriving scared Crookshanks away. Sebastian hissed at Malfoy, making the boy take a step back. Ciel would have laughed if he wasn't too proud. Malfoy glared at him fatefully.

'Get that beast away from me,' he ordered as though he was the king of the castle. Ciel's eyes narrowed at him.

'Get away yourself,' he replied coldly. 'Is the Malfoy heir afraid of a little kitten? No wonder that you are worried about how you'll manage to lead the family if you can't manage a cat,' he mocked. He had overheard Malfoy talking with one of the seventh-year students the other day, complaining about how difficult it was to invest his father's money. With a snarl, Malfoy moved to kick Sebastian but Ciel was faster. Even though he knew that his cat would duck on time, he pulled out his wand and caught Malfoy in a body-binding spell.

Some students laughed when Malfoy fell to the floor gracelessly. Ciel put his wand away as though nothing had happened, letting Crabbe and Goyle try to figure out the counter curse with their small brains. Nezumi shook his head, although Ciel could see that he enjoyed the show as much as Ciel did.

'What happened here?' Shion asked, coming up to them and sitting opposite to Ciel, to have breakfast. Just then, Malfoy finally managed to get up and glared at Ciel hatefully. I'll have to watch out for his revenge, Ciel thought, what a bother. Sebastian jumped onto the bench next to Shion and leaned into the white-haired boy's touch.

'Nothing much,' Nezumi answered Shion's question, putting away the newspaper finally as Shion gushed over Sebastian and fed him some sausage from the table. Ciel noticed that Malfoy was still glaring at them and wondered what made the other boy move away, until he noticed that some teachers arrived.

'You'll make him fat,' he complained to Shion, who scratched behind Sebastian's ear skilfully, grinning up at Ciel as he looked away from the purring cat. For some reason, Sebastian had accepted him immediately, like he had accepted Ciel, Nezumi and just about nobody else. Ciel wasn't sure if he should be angry at that. After all, Sebastian was supposed to be his demon cat, not the object of girly cooing. Then again, Hamlet, Cravat and Tsukiyo also accepted Shion as their friend immediately.

'He will never be fat with all the exercise he's getting, pretending to chase after Hamlet, Cravat and Tsukiyo,' Shion protested and looked down at Sebastian. 'Will you, pretty cat?'

})i({

Shaking her head, Hermione looked away from the commotion at the Slytherin table. She looked back at her book, wanting to continue reading, when Crookshanks jumped on the table next to her.

'Crookshanks,' she scolded the cat. 'Get off the table immediately,' she ordered, shoving him off, despite his protesting meowing. She took a piece of sausage and gave it to Crookshanks to placate him. 'What got you so worked up, huh? Did you get into a fight with another cat?' she asked, petting his head as he ate. She could see that he was irritated. Without a reason, she looked back up at the Slytherin table, where Shion had just joined the twins.

'Did you pick up a fight with Sebastian?' she asked Crookshanks, looking back at him, laughing shortly when he meowed to get another sausage. 'How many times do I tell you to not fight with other cats, hmm?' she asked, giving him more food as Harry and Ron arrived, looking rather unhappy.

'What got into you two?' she asked, abandoning the idea that she would get anything more done during the breakfast. With resignation, she closed the book and put it away after Crookshanks licked her fingers clean.

'We got caught sneaking around,' Harry admitted dejectedly. 'Ron bumped into Phantomhive and fell out of the Cloak so I guess the Slytherins know now that I have one,' he explained. Hermione could sense that there was more to the story, but she decided to not press for details. For all she knew, Ron let himself be provoked again and did something stupid. Not that sneaking around the Slytherin common room wasn't stupid.

'You guys should get rid of those habits,' she muttered, deciding that she could eat if she couldn't read and putting some porridge into her bowl. 'It's all over, Malfoy doesn't have the Dark Mark and there is no reason why he would be plotting,' she reminded them forcefully. They knew for a fact that Malfoy didn't have a Dark Mark because the call for all the pure blood families to prove their innocence included children from the age of three, which Hermione thought was insane.

'First, it is fun,' Ron protested. 'Second, we think that Malfoy is in fact plotting. I heard him talk about some scheme with another Slytherin student and we want to know what their scheme is,' he added. Hermione rolled her eyes. In her mind, the most Malfoy could be scheming about was how to pass all the tests with flying colours, without his father looming over the grading committee. She told that to her friends.

'Come on, Hermione,' Harry said with a charming smile. 'Don't you miss figuring out mysteries?' he asked and Hermione bit her lip, unwillingly glancing in Shion's direction. There was one mystery she wanted to figure out. She had tried asking Safu, but the girl just said that it was nothing and Hermione should forget it. But Hermione couldn't let it drop if somebody was being hurt or mistreated, which she feared Shion might have been. Why else would he have red marks on his neck? When she asked if it had something to do with the contact lenses and dyed hair, Safu just looked at her weirdly and said that she needed to go.

Next to her, Harry and Ron laughed, triumphal, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked at their eager faces.

'So you do have a mystery you would like to solve, eh?' Harry asked with a wicked grin. 'Wanna share it so that we can have some fun?' he asked. Hermione bit her lip, thinking if it would be alright to share her suspicions. After all, she trusted Harry and Ron with her life.

'Come on, Mione,' Ron poked her. 'We cannot only think about lessons and exams and our future plans. We need some fun,' he tried to convince her. She looked at him doubtfully and then at her plate.


	8. Ch 7: Revenge

**Ch. 7: Revenge**

On the late evening on that Saturday, Ciel and Nezumi were walking back to their common room, tired after the whole day of studying. They even stayed longer than Safu, Shion and Lizzy, which didn't happen often. Only Hermione was still in the library when they left and they both wondered if the Gryffindor girl would ever go to enjoy some free time in the evening.

'Safu said they had some party in the common room, that was why they needed to leave earlier,' Ciel said, mainly to break the silence. The corridors were all but deserted, as it was close to curfew. Nezumi shrugged, but Ciel knew that he was interested. As much as his brother didn't care about the other students, he made a point to know most of the school's gossip.

'Birthday party, didn't she say that?' Nezumi asked. Ciel nodded. 'Malfoy's coming up, do you think he will make a huge party this year again?' he asked. Last year and the year before, Malfoy made a point to make his party one to remember. He even invited the pure bloods from other Houses to the Slytherin common room, of course not asking the other Slytherins if they minded before. Why would Malfoy ask anybody anything? Malfoy ordered people around.

'I hope he chokes on butterbeer if he does,' Ciel replied coldly. He didn't care for the party and the noise, if he wanted silence, there was always the Room of Requirement or he could put a silencing spell on the dormitory. He didn't mind Malfoy showing off with his gifts or the money he had to spend on such a feast either. This kind of thing could only annoy the likes of Weasley. He minded Malfoy. Nezumi laughed quietly, but he knew that his brother shared his opinions on the matter.

They were quite close to the entrance of the common room, when they heard a painful gasp around the corner. Before they could even wonder what was going on, Malfoy's sneering voice sounded.

'Hold him well, that freak,' Malfoy said. Ciel rolled his eyes. One of the reasons that he didn't like Malfoy is that he was giving the pure bloods a bad opinion. With his visible hate for the Muggle born wizards and his bullying, he made people believe that pure bloods were evil. Ciel couldn't care what people thought about him, but having to publicly prove that he didn't have a snake and a skull tattooed on his forearm has been humiliating in more ways than one. The last thing he needed was to see Malfoy beat up a defenceless first-year just for not having the right blood. The last thing he wanted was the moral dispute about whether he should get involved or pretend that he didn't care.

'We'll see how smart your friends will be after I rearrange your face,' Malfoy's sneering voice added over a sound of struggle.

'Let me go,' replied a defiant, although slightly trembling voice, which did not belong to a random, Muggle born first year student. Before Ciel could as much as gasp, Nezumi was already turning the corner and, when Ciel followed him, he saw his brother pinning Malfoy to the wall, hand clasped tightly around the other boy's neck.

'Would you like me to rearrange your face, Malfoy?' Nezumi hissed, his voice dangerously quiet. Malfoy struggled to get free but, Ciel knew, Nezumi was much stronger than the brat who believed that a wand solved all problems.

'Let him go,' Ciel growled at Crabbe and Goyle, who, still holding Shion between themselves, seemed dizzy at the sudden turn of events. Ciel knew that they enjoyed being Malfoy's goons for those very moments, but now they looked at each other and ran. 'Are you alright?' he asked the white-haired boy, getting a nod in reply before Shion rearranged his scarf around his neck again. It loosened, probably in the struggle, and a tiny part of the scar was visible.

'Now let me get one thing straight, Malfoy,' Nezumi continued, ignoring everybody else. 'If you have a problem with me or Ciel, you can take it up with us. Unless you don't have the guts to do so,' he added and let go of Malfoy but not without pushing the boy hard against the wall. Ciel saw Shion wince at the sound of Malfoy's skull hitting the wall behind him.

'Now get lost,' Nezumi ordered him.

'You will regret that, Phantomhive,' Malfoy hissed, taking a couple of steps away from his attacker, but not turning back. 'Or should I say Rutherford,' he added.

'Whatever you call me, I'm not afraid,' Nezumi replied calmly, without hesitation or surprise at Malfoy calling him by the family name of his biological parents. The blond boy took a couple of steps more before finally turning and running. Nezumi watched him until he turned the corner and then looked at Ciel and Shion. 'Took him a while to realise that we're not biological twins, didn't it?' he asked. Ciel grinned.

'I'm still surprised nobody figured that out yet when I'm so much better looking than you are,' he said. Nezumi punched his shoulder lightly before focusing on Shion, who smiled at them. It was obvious that he was bothered by something.

'What were you doing here at this hour?' Ciel asked, realising that the corridor led to the Slytherin common room and there only. 'Aren't you on that birthday party that Safu talked about today?' he added with a frown. His frown only deepened when Shion sighed in reply and looked away.

'I was talking with McGonagall,' he said quietly. 'Apparently some of the teachers don't appreciate my new hair and contact lenses,' he added with a wince. Ciel blinked. Did he really hear correctly? Didn't McGonagall get the letter from father? 'I didn't really feel like joining the party afterwards, so I thought I might try to find you guys.'

'Did McGonagall actually manage to say "contact lenses"?' Nezumi asked, wrapping one arm around Shion's arms and one around Ciel's and leading them away from the common room. His statement actually managed to get a small smile from Shion. His mice sprang out of nowhere, like they had the habit of doing, and chirped excitedly at them. They have probably been worried that their master was not coming back and were happy to see him again. Ciel supposed that Sebastian would show up soon as well, since the cat was usually trailing behind the mice, whenever they were not with Nezumi, protecting them from other cats.

'It's nearly curfew,' Ciel pointed out in protest, although he let Nezumi lead him. They could hardly go talking in the Slytherin common room as things were. 'I don't particularly fancy spending the night in one of the dusty classrooms again,' he added. They did that a couple of times.

'Well then it is good that we have the Room of Requirement, isn't it?' Nezumi asked rhetorically. 'Do you think the old castle will manage to conjure up some Muggle classics for us to read tonight?' Ciel smirked.

'It might be up to the challenge,' he said. When, some minutes later, they opened the door of the Room to find themselves in a cosy looking library with huge armchairs around a fireplace and books lining all the walls, from the floor to the ceiling, Ciel had to admit that the castle managed the challenge pretty well.

Sebastian trotted into the room between their legs, Nezumi's mice in tow, and settled in front of the fireplace, stretching pleasurably. The mice scattered around the Room, squeaking and chirping as they discovered the new place.

Closing the door meant finding themselves in a little universe of their own, something they have used in the past a couple of times. It was convenient that not many students knew about the Room, so they never found it otherwise occupied when they needed it to have a calm place to talk. As much as Dumbledore dreamed about erasing the inter-House barriers between the students, he didn't make it easy for them, with House common rooms locked with a password and no other places for students to sit other than the library, the Great Hall and unused, dusty classrooms. Ciel, Nezumi, Shion, Safu and Lizzy were often forced to use the Room as their meeting place when the weather wasn't good enough to spend time outside.

'So, tell us about McGonagall,' Nezumi said as they sat on the armchairs that were nearly big enough for them to curl up and sleep on them. As soon as Ciel thought that, fluffy blankets appeared on the right armrests. Shion laughed shortly.

'And hot chocolate too?' he asked and a small table appeared between them and the fireplace, with three large mugs full of steaming, dark liquid on it. However, Shion's smile disappeared as he sank back into his armchair. 'Like I said, apparently some teachers don't appreciate my "new, alternative looks", like McGonagall put it. She said that I should consider the status of this school and look like a presentable student should,' he said in a quiet tone, watching the fire.

'I thought father sent her a letter,' Ciel muttered, leaning to pick up the hot chocolate. 'What did you tell her?'

'What could I tell her? The truth of course,' Shion replied, irritation appearing in his voice as he continued. 'Then she went all like "ah yes, I remember, I'm sorry" and "I better tell all the teachers" before she looked at me and said that I should go to Madame Pomfrey and get fixed.'

'Fixed,' Nezumi spat the word out. 'There's nothing broken to be fixed,' he added firmly.

'I can understand that she forgot to tell them before and that she forgot about the letter. I mean it's not always that you become the headmistress of a school and it's bound to have loads of obligations attached,' Shion continued, seemingly ignoring Nezumi's outburst. He still wasn't looking at them, but at the fire. 'But I wish she listened to me when I told her that your dad took me to St. Mungo's. That the Healers spent three days, trying everything they could think of before they determined that it was not harmful in any case and better to leave it like it is, rather than change it. I don't want Madame Pomfrey to go through that again with me, the tests and potions and all, only to get to the same conclusion!'

Silence fell in their private piece of the castle, only broken by the crackling fire in the fireplace. Nezumi, lips pressed in a thin line and eyes narrowed angrily, was looking at the fire before his gaze met Ciel's. Meeting the steely gaze, Ciel remembered the episode in the summer and Shion's mortified face when he had looked in the mirror for the first time after the curse. It has taken Ciel and Nezumi three days to convince him to not skip the meeting with Lizzy and Safu and even longer to make him even consider going back to school. The immediate acceptance on the part of the two girls helped greatly with the latter.

'So tomorrow, because today it was too late, I'm supposed to turn myself in to the Hospital Wing to be poked and prodded,' Shion added bitterly after a moment. He undid the scarf from around his neck and, for the first time since they arrived at Hogwarts, Ciel saw the scar on his neck. It could have been mistaken for strangulation marks from far away and, when they were brainstorming about the story to feed to the students, it crossed their minds. However, strangulation marks would be problematic to explain on their own, especially if they wouldn't disappear.

With a resigned expression, Shion accioed his cup of hot chocolate and sipped the dark liquid, closing his eyes in pleasure. Nezumi followed his example and, for the moment, the fire crackling was the only sound on the room again. Ciel sighed, wondering if there was anything that could be done about the situation. He could understand Shion's dislike for the idea of going to Hospital Wing. Himself, he wouldn't like to be poked and prodded by Madame Pomfrey and he avoided it to the best of his abilities, but the worst would be that Shion would probably miss lessons and then people would start to wonder. It was surprising they haven't yet, really.

'I'll send a message to father,' Nezumi muttered. 'Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people, said Yeats. Hopefully McGonagall will understand the grown-up language of father.'

'It'll not arrive before tomorrow morning,' Shion pointed out, but Nezumi merely smirked and grabbed a pot of floo powder that appeared on the fireplace, probably in the Room's response to Nezumi's thoughts. Shion opened his mouth to protest about waking the man up or disturbing him on the weekend, but Ciel spoke before he could.

'You underestimate how guilty father feels about this whole affair,' he said calmly. 'He will gladly stop whatever he was doing and pester McGonagall until she gives in and leaves you be,' he added, while Nezumi spoke to somebody, presumably father, through the green flames. After a moment and a couple of nods, turned back to them and said that father was finishing up some investment scheme for the company, together with Shion's mother, and they wish them all a nice evening.

'He will floo McGonagall in a moment and said that you should not bother to go to the Hospital Wing,' he added to Shion. The white-haired boy smiled sadly and thanked him before apologising for the trouble. Ciel rolled his eyes.

'It was one of mother's curses, so it is us who should be apologising to you,' he pointed out but, from Shion's expression, he could see that he wasn't going to cheer his friend up that way. He needed to change the game, he thought, and glanced at Nezumi. A devilish smirk fighting to twist his lips, he took out his wand. 'Say, Nezumi, did I tell you that I was going to make you pay for that run in the morning?' he asked conversationally. Nezumi looked at him, blinking in surprise at the abrupt change of topic.

'What?' he asked.

'I figured that this might be a good time to get my revenge,' Ciel said, forcing his tone to be as innocent as possible and flicked his wand. The trousers of Nezumi's uniform immediately transformed into a short skirt, barely reaching halfway down his brother's thighs. Shion looked at the scene with wide eyes and a blush that Ciel committed to memory to tease him about later. Taking in the shocked and then outraged expression on his brother's face, Ciel laughed out.

'You-' Nezumi growled and threw himself at Ciel, who barely managed to spring out of the armchair on time and hide behind it.

'Nezumi, behave like a lady or we are going to see your underwear,' he managed to squeeze out through the overpowering laughter. He heard Shion laugh as well and Nezumi growl and he made a jump to hide behind Shion's armchair. He tried anyway because he collapsed laughing on the ground. It has been a long while since he had so much fun.

'Right, the joke's on you,' Nezumi said, when Ciel's and Shion's laughter died down. He was obviously trying to keep his face, even though he looked to be on the verge of laughter himself. 'I'll make you pay tomorrow when we run,' he added with a cruel smirk.

'Damn,' Ciel groaned. I should have waited till Monday, he thought. Shion snickered. 'Ah, that's it,' he exclaimed, jumping up from the floor, almost disappointed to see that Nezumi transfigured his trousers back. 'You're running with us tomorrow.'


	9. Ch 8: Indecisions

**Ch. 8: Indecisions**

The weather got colder with each passing day, as September became October and Halloween was drawing near. The first Hogsmeade trip was planned for the weekend before the holiday and Hermione was looking forward to it, even if she had to make a rather difficult choice beforehand. Just last Sunday, when they were packing their books to leave the library, Safu said that if Hermione wanted to spend the trip with them, she was most welcomed. She even said that Harry and Ron were welcomed as well, if they wanted to come and Hermione was really at loss of what to say.

Since Shion's birthday, she had spent a couple of Sunday evenings not only with Shion and Safu, but also with Nezumi, Ciel and Lizzy, all of whom needed to study just as much as they did, with the new strictness of the teachers. They would really study most of the time, sometimes asking Safu or Shion, or even Hermione, to explain something they couldn't understand. However, sometimes they chatted with hushed voices, to avoid the getting Madame Pince's attention.

She actually enjoyed that quiet time spent in the library. A couple of times, she asked Harry and Ron to join her, wishing for all her friends to get along and hoping that spending some times with her "study group" would convince her friends that they were alright. In response, Ron either mocked her for hanging out with Slytherins or badmouthed Shion. Hermione knew where the former was coming from, but she couldn't quite understand the latter. Harry, after Ron's tirade died off, only smiled at her apologetically and said that he'd stay with Ron or he'd feel stupid in the company. So Hermione went alone, wondering what would happen if she would have to choose one day and that day finally came.

What Ron and Harry would say if I suggested spending the Hogsmeade trip with the "devilish, Slytherin twins", she wondered, shaking her hand at the nickname Ron has given to Ciel and Nezumi in one of his tirades. They would probably be proud, she thought, while Ron thought he was insulting them. She was sitting in the corner of the common room, trying to find an easy way out of her problem. Around her, the Gryffindor students were chatting excitedly about their plans for the trip on the following day.

Hermione sighed. If I don't go with them, Harry and Ron will be angry and they are like brothers to me, she thought, looking down at the book on her lap. She couldn't even focus on what she was reading!

'You look awfully sad, Hermione,' Ginny, Ron's younger sister, said as she sat next to her in the corner. Hermione tried to smile at her. 'What's up?'

'The sky,' Hermione muttered with a smirk. She had picked that up from Ciel, which was ironic enough, considering the meaning of his name. Ginny blinked at her in surprise and then burst laughing. Hermione laughed with her, feeling much better than she was just moments ago.

'That's a good one, Mione,' Ginny said finally, brushing the corners of her eyes. 'I have to forward that to other people when they ask me,' she added. Hermione wondered briefly what Ciel's reaction would be if he got an answer like that. It should be worth seeing, she decided.

'So what are you going to do tomorrow?' she asked, not out of curiosity, but to have something to think about other than her dilemma. Ginny grinned.

'What do you mean "what I am going to do"? Of course I'll stalk you, Harry and Ron and pester my brother to buy me sweets,' she replied innocently. Hermione snorted. 'No really, I was hoping to stay alone with Harry so I actually came to ask you if you minded getting Ron away from him,' she replied again and this time she sounded serious. Hermione knew that Ginny and Harry were having something and she wondered if it would really work to detach Ron from his best friend and his younger sister, but Ginny's next statement froze whatever thought processes Hermione might have had. 'I know that Ron would love to spend some time only with you and you want that too, no?'

'Uh,' Hermione didn't really know what to say. Ginny looked at her funnily.

'Not that Ron said something like that, but didn't you start hanging out with the sexiest guys in the school to make him jealous?' she asked and Hermione's eyes widened. Who was Ginny talking about? 'The Phantomhive twins of course,' Ginny clarified, rolling her eyes. 'If they were not in Slytherin I would have considered them to make Harry jealous. I'm sure I would manage to charm them, but I didn't want to go that far. I'm actually surprised that you did, but really, it worked. Ron is all worked up about how you spend more and more time with them.'

Hermione was speechless. Did Ginny honestly think that Hermione just hanged out with Ciel and Nezumi to make Ron jealous? Did Harry and Ron think that as well? She blushed and wondered if Ciel and Nezumi thought anything along those lines as well. Her blush must have confirmed Ginny's theory for the younger girl, because she grinned and went on in her babbling.

'It's a shame they are in Slytherin, such a waste of good looking guys really. They are quite hot, huh?' she paused and winked. 'I mean that other guy, the one you studied with since the beginning? He's quite something now as well, with the new hair and those lensy contacts.'

'Contact lenses,' Hermione corrected automatically, still not quite grasping how the conversation with Ginny got that much out of control.

'Yeah, those,' Ginny agreed lightly. 'I'm surprised that McGonagall lets him look like that at school though. Mom told me, when I wanted to dye my hair orange, that Hogwarts has strict policies on how students should look.' Hermione realised that it was true and started wondering about that herself. Moreover, Shion didn't strike her as a guy craving for attention. He would probably be mortified if he heard Ginny just now, talking about him with such a smile on her face. 'I suppose that's why Ron is suddenly unhappy that you are studying with the Ravenclaws rather than him and Harry. I heard him complain to Harry nearly every time that you are away.'

'Really?' Hermione managed to utter when Ginny paused to breathe. Her friend mistook her interest for hope and grinned madly. What am I getting myself into?

'Really, really,' Ginny assured her. 'He's driving us crazy, so maybe you could try and study with him instead? Not that there would be a lot of studying involved,' Ginny smirked at her knowingly and Hermione felt her face grow hot. 'But that way me and Harry could have some time for ourselves as well, it would be nice. So, what do you say Hermione? Will you try to get Ron away from us in Hogsmeade tomorrow?' Ginny asked and looked at Hermione pleadingly. I can't say no to her, can I?

'I'll try,' she said with resignation. 'But I can't promise anything. If Ron starts to suspect anything he-' Ginny didn't let her finish. She clapped in joy and hugged her briefly, thanking her and going away, waving at Harry and Ron.

'What was that about?' Harry asked as he and Ron came to sit with Hermione moments later. Hermione looked at him with narrowed eyes as he blushed and looked away. So he knew! He sent Ginny onto Hermione. She was going to make him pay, she promised herself, but for the moment she smiled sweetly and said that it was nothing.

'What are you guys up to?' she asked, wanting to change the topic. She didn't have the dilemma of what to do in Hogsmeade anymore, although she wasn't sure if she was satisfied with the solution. She hoped that Safu and the others would not take it badly. She strongly suspected that the twins would just shrug and go on, but maybe the other three would be disappointed.

'We were out, trying to find out what Malfoy is scheming,' Ron started excitedly and Hermione gritted her teeth and willed herself to not roll her eyes. 'And we had the most interesting conversation with Michael Corner,' he added.

'The same Michael Corner that was dating Ginny last year?' Hermione asked with a slightly mocking tone. She knew it shouldn't give her satisfaction to see both Harry and Ron wince at the reminder, she really knew that. She fought, and won, against herself to not smile at their expressions.

'If that guy lays his dirty hands on my little sis again,' Ron started and Hermione almost laughed at the apprehensive look on Harry's face. The twins are rubbing off me, she thought guiltily. 'I swear if I see him as much as look at her too long, he will regret it.'

'Ron,' Harry stopped him. 'Hermione knows all that already,' he added and Ron's mouth snapped shut, a sulk appearing on his face. 'In any case, Michael,' Harry said the name with the smallest hint of distaste that Hermione found infinitely amusing. 'Said that the guy you're studying with is behaving weird this year. You know – the white-haired Ravenclaw.'

'Shion,' Hermione said. Before she didn't even try to correct Ginny, who was too far gone into her fantasies to listen, but she didn't want Harry to call somebody she deemed her friend as "the white-haired Ravenclaw". Harry nodded, while Ron winced slightly. 'What's weird about him?' she asked, keeping her tone casual. She wondered if he wore his scarf in the dormitory as well. If Michael had anything to say, then probably he did or did something even more out of place that started the gossip.

'He's having some secrets,' Ron said earnestly. 'Since this year, he started to avoid the other guys in his dormitory, at least unless he's all wrapped up in clothes. He doesn't even shower at the same time as they do anymore.'

'That hardly sounds as a crime,' Hermione pointed out, forcing her voice to stay calm, although a chill ran down her spine as she remembered the red mark on Shion's neck. Could it be the reason? Was it a bruise? Did he have more bruises? Horror stories about abuse victims plagued her mind whenever she thought about it and she wondered if it was only a Muggle problem. She only ever heard about those kinds of things when she was watching the news at her parents place.

'No, but it's weird, you gotta admit it,' Harry butted in. 'Besides, Michael says that those are not contact lenses he's wearing, because his eyes don't change in the evening. He says his mom wears contact lenses and you can see in the person's eyes if they wear them. Do you think you could look, Hermione?'

'What are you doing, telling her to look into his eyes,' Ron yelled and the conversations around them stopped as everybody looked at them. Hermione thought that she was going to die in humiliation as smirks twisted some of the faces and Ron turned lobster red. A few people laughed and then the conversations were back. Hermione glared at Ron before looking at Harry.

'And if they're not?' she asked. Why didn't she think to check before? She knew that contact lenses were visible from up close after all.

'People's eyes don't change colour, Hermione,' Harry said seriously. 'If he's not wearing contact lenses then there might be something fishy going on,' he added. Hermione bit her lip, torn between agreeing with him and telling him to mind his own business. 'Michael is going to try and spy on him for us a bit, he said he's curious himself and he will share if he finds something.'

'Don't you think that we have no right to pry? What if something did happen to him and it's not a pleasant memory?' she asked finally. Harry and Ron blinked at her, as though this thought has never occurred to them. If Hermione was honest with herself, it didn't occur to her either, but she didn't put nearly as much time into solving the mystery as they and Michael Corner seemed to do. She kind of accepted Safu's words and let the matter slide, even if she kept an eye out for any sign of trouble.

'Well,' Harry mumbled and looked away. Hermione kept her eyes on him, knowing that she could make him see reason if she was given enough time.

'It's too late now, isn't it? Michael will try to sneak up on that guy in the shower tonight or tomorrow or whenever he will take a shower,' Ron pointed out, breaking the silence. He didn't sound overly concerned either and Hermione wondered if she could still go, find Ginny and tell her that she didn't want to have anything to do with Ron, much less to spend a whole day with him.

She could only hope that whatever it was that Shion was hiding, from the other boys in his dormitory, he was better at it than Michael Corner was at spying. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, she was going to find Shion and warn him. She didn't care if that would turn Shion's and, probably everybody else's, anger onto Harry and Ron.


	10. Ch 9: Hogsmeade

**Ch. 9: Hogsmeade**

True to the word she has given herself, Hermione got up before dawn and rushed through her morning routine. The previous evening, before she fell asleep, she made up a cover story, in case anybody would be awake and would see her rushing out of the common room at such and early hour: she wanted to check something out in the library before going to Hogsmeade. It was a perfect alibi because she was sure that nobody would even think to go to the library on the Hogsmeade day. To further verify her alibi, she planned to really go to the library after meeting Shion, if there was time before the breakfast.

Only when she was close to where she knew the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room was, did she realise that she didn't know the password. She turned the last corner and stopped dead as she saw the "sexiest guys in the school" standing in the corridor, chatting, dressed in black, Muggle, running clothes: tight, lycra leggings, shorts and hoodies. They looked up at her in surprise.

'Wanna run with us?' Nezumi asked with a smirk. Hermione tore her eyes away from his legs and blushed slightly. 'I would suggest something else as shoes in that case,' he added casually. His words filtered through to Hermione's brain with some delay, but she finally shook the shock away and grinned.

'I hate running,' she said and came up closer to them. 'Sexy tights,' she added, enjoying the palest of blushes that graced Ciel's porcelain cheeks.

'They're leggings,' Ciel informed her indignantly. 'And if you don't want to run then what are you doing here and up at this hour? I didn't think you had a lover in Ravenclaw,' he added, probably to pay her back for the tights comment. It worked also, because she blushed. She wanted to ask if their ancestors weren't turning in their graves to see them wearing Muggle clothes, but she bit her tongue. Literally.

'Ouch,' she exclaimed in surprise and pain, as the twins shared an amused look.

'Not as articulate as usual, is she?' Nezumi asked Ciel.

'Maybe she's not a morning person,' Ciel suggested. Hermione thought that he didn't sound much like a morning person himself.

'Oh, would you stop that? I just need to talk with Shion,' she said, finally remembering just why she was in front of the entrance to the Ravenclaw common room. 'And what are you doing here anyway? If you want to run then I suggest you do get out of the castle,' she added. 'I don't want you to stink up the corridors as you sweat.'

'No worries, we're just waiting for our Ravenclaw prince,' Nezumi said. 'He has graciously agreed to accompany us on out morning run,' he added. Just as he said those words, Shion came running down the stairs that led to his House's common room.

'I'm already warmed up from these-' he was saying but he paused when he noticed Hermione and glanced hesitantly at the other two. She saw that he was wearing very much the same as the Slytherins, although he also had a scarf wrapped around his neck. 'Stairs,' he finished.

'It seems that Hermione has something to tell you that does not bare waiting till breakfast,' Nezumi said, his voice so full of hidden meanings that both Shion and Hermione blushed furiously. I really have to get out of that habit of blushing, she thought, turning to Shion, licking her lips in sudden nervousness. She glanced at the Slytherin twins, who didn't seem like they were going anywhere. Shion followed her gaze and looked back at her.

'Anything you want to say to me, you can say in front of them,' he told her. 'Although they might mock you if it's something humiliating,' he added with a small smile. When she didn't smile back, his smile faded as well and he nervously tightened the scarf around his neck. Hermione licked her lips again and ignored Ciel's muttered "man, I can't even understand what she's saying, she talks so loud" and Nezumi's responding snicker.

'I actually don't know how to start,' she said, looking into Shion's eyes and realising, with some panic, that he was not wearing contact lenses. His eyes really are bright violet, she thought. 'I kind of overheard, em,' she trailed off.

'People gossiping about me?' Shion asked with a cold edge to his voice. 'That's nothing new, you really didn't need to get out of bed so early just to tell me,' he added. She could see that he was uncomfortable with the topic and she bit her lips, shaking her head. Behind him, Ciel and Nezumi stood straighter, obviously listening.

'Michael Corner wants to spy on you to see what it is that you are hiding,' she spit out finally, in a rush, words tumbling out of her mouth and stumbling over themselves. Shion's eyes widened slightly as he took in the information. All hint of amusement was gone from the twins. Hermione looked down. 'You're my friend, so I wanted you to know. Whatever it is, he has no right to act like this,' she mumbled.

'Thanks Hermione,' Nezumi's voice said quietly, making her look up at the Slytherin. 'We really appreciate it,' he added and put a hand on Shion's shoulder. 'Let's go running?'

'Right,' Shion muttered. 'Thanks Hermione. See you in Hogsmeade?' he asked with a hopeful smile. Oh no, Hermione thought.

'Um, I actually,' she started, not knowing what to say again. Nezumi rolled his eyes, while Shion seemed slightly disappointed. They obviously expected what she was going to say and she wondered if that meant she didn't have to make excuses.

'We get it, no worries,' Ciel said calmly, saving her. 'We'll see you on Sunday in the library, if you come, but now we really have to run. Literally,' he added, saying the last word with such obvious dislike that Hermione wondered why he bothered to go running. As the other two turned away from her, he nodded his thanks as well.

She nodded back and watched them go, amused at Nezumi poking the other two to warm up their arms. They complied eventually, probably just to shut the other boy up. It should be funny to see them run, she thought, especially since Ciel doesn't sound like he's into it. She smiled, thinking that Shion was lucky to have friends like that.

Oh, I have friends like that as well, she thought, shaking her head and going to the library. I am sure that if I was in that situation, Harry and Ron would do everything to make me feel better, she thought. She shivered at the idea of her hair turning white as a result of some curse and the thought make her pause. She mentally rewound that thought.

Curse?

Was there a curse that would change a person's appearance? She thought about the question even as her feet led her to the library. Where should she start to look? Mentally, she made a list of books that could be worth a shot, at least as the beginning of the search. By the time she reached the library, she even crossed one of those books out because she remembered just about everything that was written in it and she didn't think it would be interesting.

Madame Pince only looked at her with surprise, but said nothing and Hermione buried herself in the books, only stopping when a shadow fell onto the page. She looked up to see Ron, Harry and Ginny, all looking at her in surprise. She snapped the book shut and, babbling about how she forgot the time while reading, went to put it away before they could read the title. When she was back, three amused faces greeted her.

'We kind of thought you would lose the sense of time,' Harry said. 'So we made sandwiches for you and brought your coat. Everybody else is ready to go to Hogsmeade I suppose, so we should join them.'

'Right, sorry,' Hermione exclaimed earnestly, taking her coat from Ginny. 'Thanks.'

'We weren't sure if you prefer ham or cheese, so we put both,' Ron said, handing her the sandwiches, which she took with a slightly unfocused look in her eyes. Ham or cheese? Who cared about things like that?

'Thanks,' she said again, accepting the food as they made their way out of the library and then out of the castle. Her mind was still stuck on the book she was reading, about curses that could be found in abandoned buildings. It wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but it was so fascinating that she couldn't stop to read. She wished there was any, politically correct, way of discussing that topic with Safu and Shion. The former was quite interested in Charms and would surely find some of the stuff Hermione found interesting, but what if they thought she was sniffing? Alright, she was sniffing, but they didn't need to know, did they?

'Are you alright, Hermione?' she heard and looked up at Ginny, realising that they were almost in Hogsmeade. She blinked. 'Luna just passed and she said that your eyes had this kind of glazed look, as though you were bitten by what-it-was-called. You didn't even twitch when she snapped her fingers in front of your eyes and said that it was definitely the bite and we got worried.'

'She did say that butterbeer was a good remedy,' Ron interjected. 'Shall we go to Three Broomsticks for a drink and hope that it doesn't rain when we are out?' he asked. Hermione felt Ginny elbow her in the side. This was, of course, a perfect opening. She smiled at Ron.

'Yeah, why don't we go?' she asked, watching how he grinned back at her brilliantly. She supposed that he didn't even hear Harry saying that he wanted to buy something and would join them later. To not spoil the situation, she didn't even acknowledge Harry's words but followed Ron to the Three Broomsticks. She actually couldn't wait to see his expression when he would realise that they were alone.

'Say, Harry-' Ron started and turned to see that Harry wasn't there. He blinked at Hermione in surprise. 'Where's Harry?' he asked. Hermione opened her mouth and closed it, realising that she forgot what Harry said.

'I, he said he wanted to buy something?' she said, finishing with an unsure look on her face and waited for the verdict. Ron looked at her, then behind her, then back at her and then he blushed like a lobster and mumbled that they should go in because it was cold. Hermione thought that there was something charming about the way he behaved and followed him inside, deciding to ignore it that he didn't let her pass first.

Unfortunately, the inn was full and Madame Rosmerta, seeing them enter, said that they should try to find a place with somebody else. After all, they were all Hogwarts students, she said. Overwhelmed, Hermione looked around, her stomach turning as she saw that the only two free chairs were next to Safu and Nezumi.

'I suppose we have to come back later,' Ron told her over the racket of too many people talking. 'Shall we find Harry?' he asked. Hermione closed her eyes briefly, imagining the scene that would play out if they found Harry and Ginny in some romantic place. Did Ron not see the free places she did, or did he not want to sit with them? Do I tell him that there's a place or do I stay quiet? Ron will hate to sit with the others and maybe he'll be mean, she thought, at least until Nezumi or Ciel tell him to get lost if he wants to be a pain. Harry and Ginny will skin me alive if Ron walks in on them kissing, she argued with herself. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for what would come.

'There's two places there,' she told Ron and pointed. As they looked, Safu noticed them and waved at Hermione, who waved back, thinking that there was no return now. 'I guess we can at least say hi,' she added. 'Otherwise it's just rude.'

'Who-' Ron started and then his expression turned cold. 'You want me to sit with the Slytherins?' he asked, blushing as Hermione grabbed his hand so that he wouldn't escape.

'No, I'm asking you to sit with me,' she replied and Ron's blush deepened. She led him through the crowd and greeted Safu and the others when they were close enough to hear her. They were sitting at a seven person table, with Ciel at the head, between Lizzy and Shion. One free place was next to Safu and the other, opposite from Ciel and next to Nezumi and Hermione took the first one without hesitation.

'You brought a lobster with you?' Ciel asked after they exchanged shouted greetings over the noise in the inn. Hermione bit her lip to stop herself from laughing and introduced Ron to everybody and everybody to Ron. While she was at it, she asked Ron to behave, in such a way that nobody could hear, and kicked Nezumi under the table when the Slytherin opened his mouth to comment. This was going to be an interesting day, she thought, when Nezumi laughed.

Eventually, an awkward conversation restarted around the table, with Lizzy and Shion trying to involve Ron, who was all but sulking, for good twenty minutes, before giving up. Hermione was going to give him a piece of her mind when they were alone finally. He was being so rude when everybody else was visibly trying to be polite. Well, the twins were doing their best to ignore Ron, but it was already something, wasn't it?

Only when they were leaving, Nezumi said that he was going to weasel out of paying for the drinks, because Ciel owed him money. Ron turned bright red, while Shion and Lizzy hissed Nezumi's name with such fury that Hermione thought they might have ignited the hair on his head. She was torn between wanting to defend her friend and laughing at the really innocent remark, because Nezumi didn't even look at Ron when he said it, so it could have been over interpretation on the part of everybody else. It could have been, if not for the tiniest of smirks that twisted the corners of Nezumi's lips almost imperceptibly.

'That was not funny,' she said finally, feeling obliged to defend Ron. She wasn't truly angry though, somehow knowing that Nezumi didn't mean anything bad by the comment. Those five were always teasing each other mercilessly and Hermione was already immune to their jibes. Ron would really profit from hanging out with them, she thought, as they left the inn.

'Oh my, the silence,' Ciel commented when they were out. 'I never again want to go into that place when it is like that,' he added seriously. Lizzy hanged on his shoulder and asked if he wouldn't even do it for her. Ron seemed suddenly interested, although he did his best to not show it.

'Would you not do that in public?' Ciel asked her. How he managed to not blush, Hermione didn't know, but he didn't. He didn't sound angry either.

'Speaking about public,' Nezumi got their attention. 'Isn't that Potter with Weaselette?' he asked, nodding towards the direction of Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Hermione turned and saw, indeed, Harry and Ginny leaving the tea shop, holding hands.

'Harry,' she muttered in despair. She thought that the Boy Who Lived survived with enough brains to know that he needed to make himself scarce if he really didn't want Ron to see him with Ginny. Next to her, Ron was too shocked to even react to Nezumi calling his sister "Weaselette". Hermione tried to grab his hand, but he already moved forward and she decided that she was not brave enough to follow.

'And here I was, thinking that we're spoiling your date,' Safu said thoughtfully as Ron exploded, getting the attention of just about everybody on the High Street. 'I was even thinking on how to let you guys go alone without making a fuss of it,' she added. Hermione blushed at the insinuation.

'Way to come out with a relationship,' Ciel commented as they all watched the complete fiasco that was Ron screaming at his best friend about betrayal.

'Yup, it might even erase Weasley's memories of you and Lizzy,' Nezumi shot back and grunted, probably because Shion elbowed him for the comment. Hermione closed her eyes to not see Harry's betrayed expression as he noticed her.

'Do you think I can hang out with you today?' she asked in a rush. 'Maybe I can move to Ravenclaw until Harry and Ginny won't want to kill me anymore?' she suggested.


	11. Ch 10: Turning point

**Ch. 10: Turning point**

The news that Potter and Weaselette were dating circled the castle like wildfire. It helped, of course, that probably one third of the school saw the incident in Hogsmeade, but already the day after the trip nobody was talking about anything else. The fact that none of the subjects of the gossip made appearance for the whole Sunday only fuelled the flames. By dinner time on Sunday, the first years were saying that Potter and Weasley killed each other in a duel and the school was going to be in trouble.

What was more surprising, at least according to Ciel, was that the wild gossip didn't die for the next couple of days. Lessons resumed, the dramatic trio was forced to come out from the Gryffindor common room and resume normal life. According to Elizabeth, who was on speaking terms with Weaselette, the girl was spitting abuse at her older brother during lunch and, according to Hermione, who was in the centre of the mess and all but hid in the library in the evenings, Potter and Weasley were simply snapping at each other for the smallest reason. Ciel couldn't understand how they could put so much drama into the situation.

On the other hand, he was grateful, because indeed, Ron Weasley seemed to have forgotten about him and Elizabeth, or at least he hasn't mentioned it to anybody. It wasn't that he was ashamed of being engaged to Elizabeth, not at all. She was a lovely girl and he was sure that they would eventually get along very well and, most importantly, it avoided him getting stuck in the drama alike the one unfolding in the school currently. Besides, he was glad that he didn't end up with anybody truly despicable, as he always reminded Nezumi, when he teased his brother that father hasn't chosen a bride for him yet.

However, Ciel knew that the students in Hogwarts wouldn't understand, with the possible exception of a couple more pure-bloods who were also on the way of being engaged via a family agreement. He didn't want their mocking or their pitying looks. Actually, he would be the happiest if they would all forget he existed and let him be in peace, with the exception of those he considered friends. Since that was impossible, he opted for not putting himself in the limelight as much as possible. Alike father, he preferred to act behind the scenes, so to say, making people do as he wished without even realising that he was pulling their strings.

Stifling a yawn, he looked around the library, remembering that the following day was Halloween and that somehow the students managed to convince the headmistress that the usual feast should be transformed into a buffet food and a dance floor. They also managed to trade the choir performance for a live band, much to Nezumi's relief, and an orchestra for some "cooler" music. Most of the seventh and sixth year girls, Elizabeth and Safu included, have been giggling about the dance for a week now. Himself, he didn't care much for the event but, knowing that Elizabeth was really looking forward to the dance, he resigned himself to the fact that he would have to suffer through it for her pleasure. He was, after all, a well behaved gentleman.

His eyes landed on Shion, who was looking ahead with an unseeing gaze, probably spacing out, which was far from unusual for him. With a smirk, Ciel waved his hand in front of Shion's eyes and watched the white-haired boy blink and focus on him.

'Fantasising about the dance tomorrow?' he asked with only the slightest hint of sarcasm in his voice. Shion looked lost for a moment and then shook his head.

'I'm not going,' he said and it was Ciel's turn to be surprised. 'But don't tell Safu, please. I don't know what has gotten into her, but she is completely irrational about it and I cannot go like that.'

'Like what?' Ciel asked, knowing exactly what Shion meant but unwilling to make it easy on him even as the violet eyes looked at him, pleading: "don't make me say it". He glanced around the library again to realise that it was pretty much deserted. 'Like what?' he asked again, more insistent.

'Well, I will look stupid if I come to a party with the scarf and,' Shion trailed off and looked down. Ciel barely heard him when he continued. 'And I am so sick of people staring and whispering behind my back.' Merlin, please give me the patience I know I don't have, Ciel thought.

'Screw them, Shion,' he hissed, knowing that it would make those tormented, violet eyes look up at him again. For most of the time, when he was in the classrooms or in the Great Hall, Shion put on a brave face and everybody probably thought that he was all fine and happy. Ciel, however, wasn't fooled for a moment and he knew that neither were Nezumi and Elizabeth. He wasn't sure about Safu, but he supposed that she wasn't fooled either. Nevertheless, they pretended that nothing was out of order for Shion's sake and followed Shion's lead in ignoring any hurtful or sarcastic remarks they might hear.

'If they think of you less because your eyes are violet or because your hair is white, or even because you have that freaking scar, then they are worth less than the dirt under your feet,' he added, mindful to keep his voice down, in case. There might have been some students putting books away.

'But-' Shion started, looking at him like he really wanted to believe what Ciel was saying but somehow couldn't. Ciel didn't let him voice his doubts.

'There are no "buts". Don't you get it?' he asked, wishing that he could get those words by force through Shion's thick skull. 'I know it's hard. I can't even imagine how hard it is and I truly don't envy you, but really, screw people, Shion. What do they matter?' he asked, trying to put all his conviction into those words. It should be Nezumi here, he thought, he is much better than me with this. Although, he thought, Nezumi obviously failed so far and it wasn't for the lack of trying.

'They don't, but they stare and they judge,' Shion whispered in a pained tone. 'And if I look at them I can see their judgement in their faces and I don't want to know what they would say if they knew more than the see. As things are now, the guys in the dormitory don't even talk to me,' he added and it was new information to Ciel. He thought that things were alright within the Ravenclaw House, used to the unity that Slytherin could display in the face of trouble. He mentally cursed the thoughtless dimwits that were supposed to be Hogwarts most intelligent, if their House was anything to go by.

'You know you only need to tell Nezumi that and he'll beat whoever you want up and I'll help him. You know that, right?' he asked, wondering if Shion was aware of the hostile looks that Nezumi would shoot at people, when they as much as looked at Shion in a wrong way, while they were together.

'And you know that it doesn't solve the situation, don't you?' Shion asked back, sounding a little bit angry. Ciel knew, of course, especially since half of the problem probably was in Shion's stubborn head. If they could just convince him to ignore the people who didn't matter, it would be so much easier for him. Unfortunately, anything they tried didn't seem to work.

'Try Hermione,' Ciel said as the sudden idea came to his mind. He was pretty sure that the Gryffindor know-it-all could be trusted to behave herself in the face of Shion's revelations, so maybe telling her the truth was reasonable? In any case, he and Nezumi managed to establish that Potter and Weasley were trying to unravel the mystery so if they had Hermione's help to mislead them, it could be beneficiary.

'What?' Shion asked.

'Granger,' Ciel hissed. 'Tell her the truth and see how she'll react,' he added, wondering briefly if Shion was being difficult on purpose. 'She's hardly a representative sample of the school's population, but if we are not enough, if you don't trust Nezumi and me, or Lizzy and Safu, maybe Hermione will be able to convince you that you shouldn't give a damn about people,' he explained and guilt shone in Shion's eyes for a moment. I didn't mean for you to feel guilty, damn it, Ciel thought. With a corner of his eye, he saw Nezumi standing behind Shion, looking at the white, oblivious head sadly. He must have been putting the books away, Ciel realised.

'It's not that I don't trust you guys,' Shion muttered and looked at his hands. Ciel summoned all his willpower to not hit his head against the table, because he knew it wouldn't help. He also restrained himself from exhaling with exasperation, because he really understood that it wasn't an easy situation.

'Let's get back to the dormitories,' Nezumi said after a while of silence and Ciel didn't miss how Shion cringed at those words. His brother took the last couple of steps to join them and put a hand on Shion's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. 'Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality of those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change,' he added.

'Hemingway,' Ciel noted, remembering the quote from the discussion with Shion's father they had this summer. 'Far from your usual classics,' he commented, keeping his tone light, as he closed his notebook and put it back in the bag.

''Tis much he dares; and, to that dauntless temper of his mind, he hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety,' Nezumi replied with a rueful smile and a flicker of smile appeared on Shion's face for the briefest moment at the familiar words from Macbeth.

They didn't speak on the way to the Ravenclaw dormitory and only whispered good nights before Nezumi and Ciel made their way to the dungeons, still silent. Ciel knew what Nezumi was thinking about, or rather who. He knew that his brother was trying to figure out ways to convince Shion that it was okay to look like this, words to tell him that it really didn't matter if his eyes were brown or violet or even pink and, "Merlin, imagine that your eyes ended up pink! You are so lucky they turned out this sexy violet." Back in September, it seemed like those words, together with Nezumi's birthday wishes to Shion, would do the trick but then the Ravenclaw overheard some of his House mates saying how he looked like a freak and everything went back to hell. Ciel knew that Nezumi was thinking about that, because so was he, wondering if there was anything that could be done.

The next day, sitting at the breakfast table, reading the newspaper that Nezumi didn't even make a move to take, Ciel wondered if they were as strong together as he gave them credit for. He looked up when he noticed that somebody sat in front of them at the table and his jaw quite literally dropped. With the corner of his eye, he saw Nezumi's expression and he thought that it was quite well worth all the worrying of the previous night.

'I've been thinking, you know,' Shion said in a light, casual tone, taking a toast and buttering it as though there was nothing out of order, even though he was sitting there, without his scarf for the first time this school year. 'I couldn't sleep the whole night actually and I finally decided that you guys were right. Screw people,' he finished and smiled up at them. Ciel smiled back and, after a couple more seconds, so did Nezumi.


	12. Ch 11: Party!

**Ch. 11: Party!**

Shion's new-found courage lasted about five minutes. His cheerful expression crumbled and his eyes welled up with tears when Malfoy, passing by, sneered that this "Halloween comes with its own freak show". Crabbe, or Goyle, Ciel had no idea which one, "accidentally" pushed Shion and the tea the white-haired boy was holding, spilled on the table.

Ciel didn't boil with red hot anger, like the Gryffindors did. With cold fury, he took his wand out under the table and restrained Nezumi from throwing himself at the blond. In any other circumstances, he would have loved to see the resulting fight, but there were a couple of teachers having breakfast at the high table and Ciel didn't think it was wise to draw their attention. He ignored Nezumi's betrayed expression and watched Malfoy go out of the Great Hall. When the blond was almost out, but still in plain view, he waved his wand, still under the table, and Malfoy's trousers vanished.

For a moment nothing happened and then one of the first-years squealed and all eyes were on Malfoy's underwear and Ciel couldn't have wished for a better choice on Malfoy's part: green with small, orange pumpkins. He almost forgot to accio the water carafe, in case somebody would like to check the last spell he cast with his wand. As laughter erupted, Ciel dropped the carafe over the table for the sake of theatrics, but there were more glasses falling and crashing and chaos ruled over the Great Hall even as Malfoy fled.

'This is forbidden,' Shion hissed at him, even though he couldn't quite erase the smile from his face. 'You're gonna get into so much trouble over that,' he added, fighting and failing to look serious. Around them, the Great Hall still roared with laughter and excited chatter. Ciel sighed.

'Well I won't, if you won't tell McGonagall that Malfoy insulted you just before,' he pointed out, suddenly wishing that McGonagall didn't veto the dress-up party idea. 'Luckily for me, about half of the school hates Malfoy for being a git and Snape will never suspect that it was one of the Slytherins.'

'You better make sure you don't wear embarrassing underwear,' Nezumi pointed out, looking positively gleeful. The vanished the spilled tea from the table and from Shion's uniform and helped himself to another toast. Ciel glared at him.

'For your information, I never wear embarrassing underwear, as opposed to you,' he shot back. Nezumi protested that his underwear was not embarrassing and they would have continued to fight if Shion didn't laugh out. They both blushed at their immature behaviour and threatened Shion if he told the girls.

'Tell us what?' Elizabeth asked as she bounced over to them, Safu in tow. 'Did you see? Did you see? Oh my god, did you see Malfoy's underwear?' she asked with a laugh. She sat next to Shion, nudging him in the side and smiling at him. Safu sat next to her and, with an excited whisper, told them how Malfoy nearly ran them over in his haste to get back to his dormitory.

'It happened here. Suddenly Malfoy's trousers just vanished,' Nezumi informed her with a smirk. Safu and Elizabeth squealed, looked at each other and laughed. 'I think I'm not going to be able to look at a pumpkin with a straight face ever again,' he added, provoking another eruption of laughter.

'Same here,' said a seventh year Slytherin sitting down next to them. 'I think they should cancel Halloween this year,' he added with a grin. He looked at them all, did a double check when he saw Shion and then, politely, focused on the breakfast.

'You just don't want to dance,' Ciel pointed out, wondering what the guy thought.

'They cannot cancel Halloween,' Safu protested. 'I've spent a week trying to find the right dress to wear and I hate when my effort goes to waste,' she added. Elizabeth agreed with her and they started talking about their dresses. Shion looked at them, then at Ciel and Nezumi.

'I thought we're not supposed to dress in evening robes,' he said. Ciel blinked. Did Shion really think that "casual" meant the girls would come in their uniforms?

})i({

Hermione was in an uncharacteristically giggly mood. She invited Ginny to join her, Safu and Elizabeth in getting ready and the four of them were sitting in her dormitory now, profiting from the fact that the other girls from her year occupied the bathroom. She never really had those girly, sleepover parties, thinking that they wouldn't work for her but, as she sat on her bed, with Elizabeth doing her hair and babbling about the newest fashion, she wondered. In front of her, Safu was doing Ginny's make-up and they were almost finished.

'So anyways,' Lizzy sighed and stepped away. 'I think this will be perfect. I mean your hairstyle for the Yule Ball was jaw-dropping, but this is more casual and it brings out your natural beauty,' she asked and showed Hermione a mirror.

'I don't think I have that much of natural beauty to bring out,' Hermione replied, feeling rather plain, in her simple, blue dress, next to Elizabeth who could easily pull off her pink, slightly frilly dress like a real lady. The girl waved her hand in dismissal.

'Don't give me that fake modesty, Hermione,' she said. 'You are extremely pretty and you make even the school uniform look sexy, otherwise do you really think that Krum would keep sending you letters for two years and making the effort to visit you so often?' she asked and Hermione felt that she was blushing. How did Elizabeth know that Krum was visiting her?

'The whole school knows,' Safu answered her unasked question, her voice very matter-of-fact and light. She put away the mascara and nodded at Ginny with satisfaction. Hermione wished that the floor would swallow her and she searched for a change of topic.

'How do I look?' Ginny asked, standing up and striking a pose. She finally bent to the pleading of Elizabeth and Safu and wore a green, tight dress that reached just until her knees and looked amazing on her. She was worried to wear green, for obvious reasons, but the other girls begged her to at least try and, of course, it worked amazingly with her red hair and pale skin. Her hair was loose, except for some strands on the sides of her head that were clasped with a small, green clip. Elizabeth flicked her wand and earrings appeared on Ginny's ears, green emeralds sparling slightly as she moved.

'Now you're perfect,' she said with an honest smile and Ginny smiled back, even as she looked shocked at the jewellery on her ears. 'It's just an illusion, don't worry,' Lizzy assured her, when she voiced her concern. 'It might fade during the night, but if you see that, I can always redo it for you.'

'I don't understand why witches don't like to pierce their ears,' Safu, who was wearing a knitted, violet dress, that was more less the same shape as that of Ginny's, said. 'It took me a year to convince Lizzy and now she has a million of earrings.'

'I don't have a million of earrings, I just transfigure them every time,' Lizzy protested. 'My mom almost got a heart attack when I came back home with pierced ears in the summer after the first year here,' she added with a laugh.

'Doesn't Ciel have pierced ears?' Hermione asked, remembering that suddenly. She never saw a boy with pierced ears before Ciel and she never thought it could look good, but somehow Ciel's earrings didn't stand out at all and it was easy to forget them. Ginny looked at her funnily, but said nothing.

'He does, but I suppose you can call it heritage,' Lizzy replied easily. 'His father also has the same kind of earrings and I suppose that his son will have them as well. Malfoy was making fun of them until Ciel found out that he was wearing a necklace with a snake pendant and threatened to reveal that to the school.'

'But, if it's a family thing,' Hermione wondered out loud. 'Then why doesn't Nezumi have his ears pierced as well?' she asked. Safu and Elizabeth exchanged troubled looks before the latter said that Hermione would have to ask Nezumi herself. Another secret those five were having, she thought, before it occurred to her that maybe Safu and Elizabeth didn't want Ginny to hear what they would say.

'So, are we ready?' Safu asked after a moment of silence. 'Do I look good?' she asked with some worry in her voice. 'I really want to look good tonight,' she added and Hermione wondered if there was a particular reason. She knew that they all thought she made herself pretty to dazzle Ron, as much as Ginny did the same so that Harry wouldn't take her eyes off her. Elizabeth was dressed up for Ciel, but they were engaged, so it was a different situation, right? In any case, romance was blooming in Hogwarts and Hermione wondered if McGonagall was going to regret letting a bunch of sixteen and seventeen year olds party like the Muggles partied.

She blushed at the very thought, remembering her mom's lecture last summer, about growing up, boys and sex. When Hermione protested that nothing like that was going on at her school, her mom just looked at her weirdly and continued as though Hermione hasn't spoken. Now she wondered if nothing like that was going on at Hogwarts and her blush deepened at the insinuations of her own thoughts.

'Not like he's going to notice anyway,' Safu mumbled next to her and Hermione remembered who she was looking at with longing and love, when she thought nobody saw. Elizabeth was whispering something to her friend and Ginny looked at Hermione.

'Do you think there's any chance Ron will leave Harry alone?' she asked rhetorically, straightening the non-existent creases on her dress nervously.

'I think you should make it clear that you want Harry to try harder,' Hermione replied firmly, not wanting to be the one to drag Ron away again. She wanted to have fun tonight and she knew that Ron didn't dance. She suddenly wondered if Ciel did and it was somehow a disturbing thought, especially since it brought the afterthought of Nezumi dancing and that made Hermione blush for no apparent reason.

'I hope Ron will be so entranced by you that he will not notice,' Ginny commented, probably misreading Hermione's blush, as they made their way out of the dormitory. They were met by Nezumi, Ciel and Shion, by the staircase next to the entrance to the Great Hall. Music was spilling out onto the corridor and Ginny giggled, saying that those guys were real gentlemen to wait for their ladies. Hermione's face burned red when Ginny wondered who Nezumi was waiting for, but, thankfully, they made their way inside as a group, not in couples.

Inside, there was already a crowd and Hermione waved at some of her friends, looking around to see who was there. When Ginny nudged her and nodded towards where Harry and Ron were sitting, Hermione forced herself to not roll her eyes and allowed Ginny to drag her away, promising herself that she would sneak off to dance at the first chance. She glanced back to see Lizzy drag Ciel to the dance floor and she wished that she could hear the comments that they were getting from the other three.

Harry was thrilled when they arrived and, much to Hermione's surprise, asked Ginny to dance almost immediately, leaving her behind with the sulking Ron. She tried to talk with him, but he only grumbled back and glared at his best friend and his sister as they were enjoying their time on the dance floor. Finally Hermione asked if he was really going to be so difficult about Harry dating his sister.

'It's betrayal, Hermione,' Ron whined. 'She's my sister!' he added and Hermione rolled her eyes. 'Besides, I don't know what is so fun about dancing, it's girly stuff.' Raising her eyebrow at him, Hermione looked back at the dance floor. Loads of the students were there, looking like they were having a great time. There were also some standing next to the buffet tables, chatting and laughing and only Ron was sulking in the corner. Mumbling that she was going to find something to eat, she left, ignoring Ron's exclamation that there was food after all.

She barely made it to the buffet table, when Ciel came up to her with a wicked smirk on his face and asked if she would like to dance.

'Won't Lizzy be jealous?' she asked when she understood his question. She was very aware of Ron's glare burning into her back. Ciel laughed shortly.

'Of course she won't be,' he said and Hermione noticed that Lizzy and Safu were going crazy on the dance floor, trying to convince Shion to dance with them. She smiled at the picture and looked back at Ciel, who was picking up some food, waiting for her reply. 'Besides,' he said in a conversational tone. 'Nezumi and I have a bet, to see if and which one of us will manage to make your wannabe boyfriend lose it tonight and I cannot afford to lose another bet.'

'A bet?' Hermione asked, not sure if she was supposed to be offended or not. And what did he mean by not losing again? Unbidden, Nezumi's comment from the Three Broomstick Inn came to her head and she gasped. 'Did you make a bet whether I'm going to meet you in Hogsmeade or not?' she asked. Ciel nodded, picking up something else to eat. 'You do know that I really didn't plan to meet you, right?'

'Yeah, Nezumi always had more luck than brains,' Ciel muttered with some dejection. 'So, shall we dance? I'm sure that you don't want to spend the whole night with the sulking Weasley in the corner,' he added casually. Hermione glanced back at Ron, who was making his way towards them.

'Yeah, let's make him jealous,' she said and let Ciel guide her to the dance floor. Once there, she found out that he was quite a good dancer and she enjoyed the song immensely. When it finished, another student asked her for a dance and Ciel winked at her, before disappearing in the crowd.

Hermione hasn't seen Ron for a long while afterwards and she hadn't even thought about him until a slow song started and she found herself in Nezumi's arms and she remembered about the bet. A smirk twisting his thin lips, the Slytherin asked her if he could possibly have that dance with her. He didn't wait for her answer, but wrapped his arms around her waist and guided her to the rhythm of the music.

'Don't you have somebody who will be jealous that I steal this dance from her?' Hermione asked, wrapping her arms around Nezumi's neck and looking into his eyes, realising her mistake too late. His steel-grey eyes were hypnotising and the smile on his face was pure charm.

'There's only one person I care about being jealous and he will not be,' Nezumi replied, not looking away from her and not losing his smile either.

'He?' Hermione asked, thinking that she should be more surprised. She should pull away in shock and scream or something, but Nezumi's hands were holding her close and she couldn't quite look away from his eyes.

'Mhm,' Nezumi hummed, leaning closer to her. 'But let that be our little secret, huh?' he whispered into her ear and Hermione almost moaned. She was being seduced by a guy who just admitted to being attracted to another guy! And she didn't mind!

'Is this part of your bet with Ciel?' she asked, trying to gather her thoughts. He chuckled slightly and she felt it through the vibrations of his chest, rather than heard the sound. He was so close, she realised.

'Maybe,' Nezumi whispered. 'Ciel doesn't think he can go that far, with the engagement and everything. He's too much of a gentleman really,' he kept on going and Hermione felt hot.

'And you're not?' she asked and Nezumi looked back at her. Again, she found herself drawn to his grey eyes and she wondered how it was possible that she never noticed before how magnetic they were. She licked her lips, seeing how his gaze focused on them.

'Of course I'm not. If I was a gentleman I wouldn't do this,' he said and, before she had time to ask what "this" was, he leaned in again, but this time he was not aiming for her ear. She let her eyes close as their lips met and she allowed him to take the lead, knowing from her experience with Victor Krum, that guys really liked that. If she was going to be seduced than she could do some seducing herself, right? However, Nezumi's kiss was nothing like Victor's. It was slow and sensual and Hermione was sure that she moaned into his lips and she hoped that the music wasn't over because she couldn't hear it and-

She stared at him when their lips parted. She realised that some people were looking at them and the song was finished.

'Wow,' was all she could whisper and he laughed, taking her hand and kissing it, thanking her for the amazing dance and leaving her, dazzled, on the dance floor as another song, faster this time, started. What a bastard, she thought but there was no anger in her. Slowly, she raised her hand to her lips and touched them, wondering if there was a way to steal another kiss from Nezumi.

'Hermione? What the hell was that?' she heard next to her and, still slightly dazzled, looked at Harry, who was staring at her incredulously. She vaguely noticed Ginny's shocked face behind and, weirdly enough, Safu's gleeful expression further away. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on Harry.

'That's having fun, Harry,' she replied, glad that her voice didn't tremble. Then, leaving her shocked friend behind, she made her way to get something to drink and gather her thoughts properly. With the corner of her eye, she saw Ciel sulk and, as Ron all but jumped at her, demanding to know what was going on, she realised that Nezumi won the bet again. Unable to stop herself, she laughed. Ron asked her if she was alright and if she was bewitched or something, but it only made her laugh harder.


	13. Ch 12: Pretending

**Ch. 12: Pretending**

Together with Malfoy's not-so-inconspicuous absence from the party, Hermione's and Nezumi's kiss was the biggest gossip. Students alternated between conjuring pumpkins whenever Malfoy showed up and whispering urgently when Nezumi as much as smiled at Hermione. She heard some of the stories about the "forbidden love" between a Gryffindor and a Slytherin from Ginny. She complained about that one Sunday, while they were studying, and it really didn't help that Nezumi quoted the balcony scene from Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" in reply, sending Lizzy and Shion into a laughing fit. Even worse so, since some other, Muggle born, Gryffindors were within the hearing range.

The repercussions among her friends were severe, Hermione thought, especially considering the honest innocence of the act. On one hand, there was Safu, who was positively gleeful about the new development. Every time they met to study, she would have to say something at least about it and she didn't acknowledge Hermione's assurances that it was only part of the bet. She claimed that Nezumi doesn't do this kind of things just to win a bet and Hermione started wondering.

She had dismissed the thought that there was something more to the kiss, but what if there was? Safu's talking confused her and she knew it was a slippery path she would take if she started to imagine things when the guy basically told her he's gay and in love. Didn't Safu know that? She tried asking Shion what he thought, working hard to look him in the eyes and not at the red scar that seem to go all around his neck, almost wishing that he was still wearing that scarf. He only smiled at her and said that it was easier to understand why people studied Divination than what Nezumi's motives were.

It occurred to her that the kissing took some attention off Shion's scar and she wondered if that could have been Nezumi's motive. She knew that the twins were both rather protective over Shion this year. Considering the fact that Shion was obviously uncomfortable about the attention he was getting for his eyes and hair and that weird scar should only add to the load, it seemed like something Nezumi could do for his friend. Could that have been the reason why Safu was so happy? But if it was then why did she insist that there was surely something more behind the kiss?

Most annoyingly, however, Ron was seriously pissed about the incident. Harry was shocked, Ginny was worried, but Ron was outright pissed. He didn't miss a single occasion to remind her about the fact that she was betraying Gryffindor by associating with Slytherins. November arrived and went and the gossip quietened when there were no other signs of the romance between her and Nezumi, but Ron was still upset.

Finally, on a particularly snowy, December Sunday, Hermione exploded, shocking Harry, Ron and Ginny, who were sitting with her when the explosion happened.

'How thick can you be, Ronald?' she exclaimed when the conversation brought another veiled comment about betrayal. She was glad that almost everybody was out, enjoying the snow. 'They made a bet,' she spat. 'A bet to see if they are going to get you riled up and they managed. Why do you always get so riled up? If you fancy me, why don't you say that or ask me out or, or anything!'

Ron opened and closed his mouth, looking very much like a fish, but Hermione was too angry to find it funny. He blushed also, the furious red that matched his hair perfectly. She took a deep breath and sagged in her seat, ignoring Harry's and Ginny's worried looks.

'I'm so tired of this attitude,' she muttered. 'You ranted about Victor, now you rant about Nezumi. Who are you going to rant about next? What will it take for you to finally make your move?' she asked. Not that she wanted him to make a move; really, she wasn't sure what she wanted, except not what she was getting. In the beginning of this year, she was actually thinking that she was attracted to Ron, but what if she was wrong? Ron repeated his fish-like performance and Hermione turned to the other two.

'So there's nothing between you and the Slytherin rat, is there?' Harry asked with a smile and she was too tired to protest against the name-calling. Then again, "Nezumi" did mean "rat" in Japanese, so maybe it wasn't name-calling after all.

'Of course there is nothing between us, he-' she bit her tongue right on time, or possibly a fraction of a second too late. However, it seemed that her friends were too relieved to notice her slip, so she continued with a smirk. 'He is a good kisser though.'

'So the rumour has it,' Ginny replied, her smirk matching that of Hermione's. 'I think I'll pierce my ears over Christmas, by the way,' she added and Hermione realised that, between studying and the gossip and Ron's attitude, they didn't even have a time to chat properly. 'I loved how I looked with those earrings that Elizabeth made.'

'They looked amazingly well on you,' Hermione agreed and Ginny beamed at her. 'So did that green dress.'

'Yeah, it's a shame that it's the colour of Slytherins,' Ginny muttered. 'The twins will have a fit if they see me wearing green like that,' she added and it took Hermione a moment to realise that she was talking about her brothers. Since when did "the twins" become "Ciel and Nezumi" to her? She bit her lip.

'So, what's new?' she asked, mainly to clear the thoughts from her head.

'Nothing much,' Harry said. 'We're having no progress with Michael's investigation, so me and Ron started thinking that we could use the Cloak and sneak into the Ravenclaw tower to find some answers,' he added. It took Hermione a long moment to understand what he was talking about and, when she did, a cold shudder ran down her spine.

'Well, the scar on his neck,' she started uncertainly. Harry shook his head and said that Shion was still behaving in a weird way, keeping himself to himself. She asked if Michael tried asking what happened.

'Are you crazy, Hermione?' Ron asked her, looking at her as though she grew a second head. 'The guys are afraid that he has turned into some sort of monster. Apparently there are some kinds of vampires that have violet eyes.' Hermione couldn't believe she was hearing that.

'And you read that in what? The Quibbler?' she asked angrily. 'Vampires cannot go out in the sun and that seems to not be a problem for Shion, in case you guys didn't notice. Besides, vampires all have a bite mark on their necks and it's quite visible so you wouldn't be able to miss it,' she added.

'Well what else makes your eyes change? Michael established for sure that it's not lensy contacts,' Ron argued back. Hermione didn't even want to correct him, knowing that he pretty much ignored her corrections of Muggle expressions. 'He cannot be a werewolf because we would notice that he was away from classes and Lupin's eyes are normal. We tried to find other creatures, but you know how bored we get in the library,' he continued and Hermione rolled her eyes at the statement. 'Hey! Can you look for us?'

'Excuse me?' she asked, pretending to not understand what he meant.

'That is an excellent idea,' Harry caught on. 'We know how you love to spend time in the library. Hermione, could you help us find what could have caused this? Or maybe even ask him? He trusts you so he will tell you,' he asked, looking at her pleadingly, but Hermione wasn't going to bend.

'No,' she said categorically. 'I have enough to do with all the homework and I will not waste my time helping you and the stupid Michael Corner. I will not ask Shion what happened and don't try to make me change my mind,' she said and snapped her book shut. 'I'm going to the library now and don't you dare to follow me and pester me about that,' she added and left.

Really, could Ron and Harry know that she was, in fact looking? Could they have seen the books that she has been reading when she has been "studying" alone? She was also sure that she was on the right track, but the books she needed were in the Restricted Section and to get there, Hermione needed a really good excuse. She didn't want to raise suspicions, neither from her friends nor from her study group. Unfortunately, their homework didn't call for the access to the Restricted Section since Hermione figured out that she needed books from there.

She walked into the library, thinking that she had some time before she would meet with the others. She could maybe- She stopped dead, when she noticed Shion, sitting at their usual table, alone, writing something. It really was impossible to miss him, with that head full of shiny, snow-white hair, she thought, looking at him. He must have felt her gaze, because he looked up and around and smiled when he saw her. She smiled back and walked up to the table, feeling rotten for sniffing around the secrets of somebody who trusted her so obviously. He went back to writing, but looked up again when she reached the table.

'You're early,' he noted as she sat opposite to him.

'So are you,' she countered, looking at the books that he had on the table. Ancient Runes, she thought, and it looks like homework for next lesson also. She had finished it already, of course, on the very day when it was given to them. She was about to feel smug but she remembered that he was keeping up with his Muggle studies in the meantime.

'I got a detention this week,' he admitted sheepishly, probably noticing her gaze on the books. 'So I didn't have time to do everything that I wanted before today.' She was opening her mouth to ask what the detention was for, but he spoke again, a fraction of a second faster. 'Did I ever thank you for that book you offered me for my birthday?' he asked.

'Huh? Ah, the Viking Runes' book?' she asked, remembering. He nodded and told her that it was amazing. It actually said some stuff about the beliefs of the Vikings, he said, and launched into a description of one of the stories. If Hermione didn't know better, she would have thought that he was stalling to make her forget about the detention. But Shion didn't do things like that, did he? She half listened to the story, admitting to him that it did sound interesting when he finished, and saying that she was very happy that he liked his birthday gift.

'It was great, really,' he assured her, nodding. 'I wish I knew what to give to Ciel and Nezumi next week,' he said and his mood fell a bit. Hermione's curiosity sparkled at his words.

'It's their birthday next week?' she asked. Shion nodded. 'They didn't say anything about it when we were talking the other day,' she commented. She would have expected them to demand some gifts, or something along those lines.

'On the 14th of December. But they don't like to remember it, so we never make a party or anything. We don't even mention it usually, because they get grumpy otherwise,' he explained calmly, although his tone was a bit sad. Very toned down for him, Hermione thought, trying to imagine the boy in front of her ignoring his best friends' birthday. 'We just make sure to drop some gifts where they can find them or something and we leave it at that.'

'Ah,' she commented his last statement. 'But why?' she asked, not understanding why somebody could dislike their birthday so much. Shion looked at her for a moment and then said that they have some bad experiences from that day and they really don't like to remember them, so they don't like the day. Nodding her understanding, Hermione noticed, with the corner of her eye, that Harry, Ron and Ginny were coming into the library. Ginny went towards her, while Harry and Ron disappeared between the shelves.

'You know that Harry has an Invisibility Cloak?' she asked out of the blue, cutting Shion's sentence in the middle. He looked at her unblinkingly for a long moment and then frowned.

'Why are you telling me that?' he asked slowly. Hermione wondered herself. 'You know I'm not good with the mind games. You should try that with Nezumi or Ciel,' he added, just as Ginny sat next to Hermione with a smile. Shion looked at her and then back at Hermione and she thought that he was going to leave. Was that what Harry wanted?

'What are you guys up to?' Ginny asked, looking from Hermione to Shion. Hermione thought that she seemed nervous. She saw Ginny lick her lips nervously and open her moth to say something else and a foreboding feeling overwhelmed her.

'We were just discussing Ancient Runes,' she said the first thing that came to her head. 'The Viking Runes to be precise. I think I'd like to read about them,' she added, wondering what has gotten into her. Ginny blinked and wanted to say something again, but Shion was faster this time, although he probably didn't even notice that Ginny wanted to speak.

'I can borrow you the book you gave me,' he said enthusiastically. He glanced at the clock that was hanging above Madame Pince's desk. 'I can pick it up before the others come if you want,' he added and, before Hermione could protest, left.

'Thanks Hermione, you're the best,' Ginny said and kissed her cheek, before disappearing out of the library. With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, Hermione ran after her.


	14. Ch 13: Lies

**Ch. 13: Lies**

Every year, when his and Nezumi's birthday was nearing, Ciel found himself in a particularly contemplative mood. The date of 14th of December evoked unpleasant thoughts and he often wondered if it was destiny that he and Nezumi were born on the same day.

He was too young to remember much about the fire that had consumed the Rutherford family and their house, twelve years ago. He did remember his mother getting him ready for Nezumi's birthday party, which would also be Ciel's birthday party. He thought he could remember being excited about going and he did remember the horror with which he had watched the fire. Although the latter could just be the creation of his nightmares from when he grew a bit older and understood what had happened. He vaguely remembered Shion crying as his father, dirty with ash, carried a badly burned Nezumi to Ciel's house. Nezumi claimed to not remember anything from that day, but Ciel knew that he was lying.

'Ciel, don't space out,' Nezumi's cold voice snapped him out of his thoughts. From Nezumi's expression, he knew that his brother knew what he was thinking about. 'Shall we go to the library?' he asked. 'I was hoping to catch Shion before Safu and Elizabeth show up,' he added, his voice forcefully casual. Ciel knew that he wanted to ask about the detention and he had a sinking feeling that he knew its reason already.

'You do know that you are allowed to walk around the castle on your own, don't you?' Ciel asked, mocking. Nevertheless, he got up from the sofa on which he was sitting.

'Of course I cannot because you will go spacing out and losing track of reality, as usual,' his brother replied, still in that cold, harsh tone. "In this time of the year" went unspoken, but Ciel knew it was there. He gritted his teeth and said nothing. They didn't say anything more as they went out of the Slytherin common room and made their way towards the library.

They arrived to see their usual table empty, except for some books and, exchanging glances, they went up to see that it was Ancient Runes' books and the notebook with Shion's unmistakable hand writing. Just as Ciel was opening his mouth to comment on the attention span of the white-haired Ravenclaw, the boy in question burst into the library, book in his hand, and stopped in his tracks when he saw them.

'Sorry to disappoint you?' Ciel muttered at the somewhat crestfallen expression on Shion's face that, as soon as Ciel spoke, merged into a smile.

'Sorry, I just went to pick up a book for Hermione, but it seems that she left,' Shion said. 'You guys are early today as well, it seems everybody is in a mood to work. I'm glad I decided to skip the lunch, everybody would be here anyway,' he added, coming up to them and putting the book he brought on top of the others already on the table. 'Do you mind if I finish the essay first?'

'Not at all,' Nezumi muttered, picking up a random book and flipping through it. 'You shouldn't skip lunch.'

'Yes mom,' Shion replied with a fond smile as he picked up from where he left off with the essay. For a moment, they sat in silence. Nezumi was looking through a book that he couldn't possibly understand, because it was written in Runes. Shion was writing, focused on the assignment. With a sigh, Ciel picked up one of the books about Defence against the Dark Arts and started reading. They agreed to work on the subject today, so there was no harm in getting a head start.

'How did the detention go?' Nezumi asked after a while, keeping his voice casual. Ciel looked up from the book on time to see Shion wince momentarily. For a moment, he thought that the Ravenclaw would ignore the question, pretending to not hear it. Ciel was on the verge of speaking up to change the subject, knowing that it would do no good to discuss the matter, when Shion looked up at Nezumi distastefully.

'As usual,' he replied evasively. Ciel supposed that he knew as well as Ciel did what the real question was because, when Nezumi just glared at him from above the book that he wasn't reading, Shion sighed. 'What do you want me to say?' he asked defensively, glaring back at Nezumi, before taking a deep breath and exhaling it slowly. He shifted his gaze to look ahead, at nothing in particular. 'Professor Sprout is not a fan of alternative looks. She seems to think they distract students. She mentioned that a couple of times during the lessons and I pretended to not hear it, but this time she kept me after the lesson and suggested that I consider dying my hair back to what it used to be and that I wear contact lenses or practice illusion charms. She didn't quite appreciate my answer,' he explained, keeping his voice light, as though the matter didn't upset him at all. Ciel knew it was a lie, because Shion only bothered with the "professor" when he was upset at the teacher. He didn't think he should comment on that though.

'Did you tell her to go to hell?' he asked with a laugh instead, deciding to treat the matter as though it was nothing big. Nezumi snorted at his question, but their eyes widened when a faint blush coloured Shion's cheeks.

'Not in so many words,' he admitted. Ciel couldn't quite imagine the perfect student Shion telling the teacher to go to hell. He wished he had seen it. 'I might have reached the point where I have had enough of their condescending looks, as though had I asked for it,' Shion tried to defend himself, blushing even more. 'So she took it up with headmistress McGonagall who went again through all the embarrassing, medical details about pigment depletion and stuff and then told me that I was being impolite and gave me lines.'

'Again,' Nezumi deadpanned.

'No, the other time it was because a Gryffindor first year went to complain to his head of the House that I was scaring him,' Shion reminded them in a tired tone, though not quite able to keep hurt out of his voice this time. 'And I made the mistake of saying that he didn't have much of the Gryffindor courage in that case, which Professor Smith didn't appreciate,' he finished and went back to writing his essay. Ciel shook his head. It was completely blown out of proportion, but apparently some of their teachers just didn't want to understand the situation. They seemed to think that it was somehow Shion's fault that he had stumbled upon a curse and he should suffer the consequences in silence.

'I'm surprised that Snape is being so nice to you,' Ciel commented after a while. He could easily imagine their head of House to be cruel just for the sake of being cruel.

'I think Snape knows too much about dark magic,' Shion whispered. 'It's the same with Kruspe, they are both very nice. I think because they might have more, em, experience with curses and their consequences than the other teachers.'

'Don't go excusing those assholes,' Nezumi hissed, snapping the book shut. Shion jumped a bit on his seat. Nezumi was about to add something more, but he closed his mouth and looked behind Ciel. He followed his brother's gaze to where Hermione was standing, looking at them with wide eyes. Shion paled, which Ciel thought shouldn't have been possible.

As the moment of tense silence stretched between them, Ciel noticed that Hermione looked like she has been running. Her cheeks were flushed and she was panting. How did she manage to get so close to them without them noticing? He cursed himself for letting his guard down. Has she heard their discussion? If yes then how long has she been standing there?

'Well?' he spoke finally, deciding to pretend that nothing happened and figure out if any damage was done later. He was pretty good at getting information out of people. 'Are you going to stand like this or would you rather take a seat? Safu and Lizzy aren't here yet, as you might have noticed.'

'I suppose some people decided to have lunch,' Nezumi added, taking his lead. Judging by the exasperated little noise that Shion made, Nezumi made it a point to glare at the other boy while talking about lunch. Ciel chuckled, even as his eyes didn't leave Hermione, who seemed to be surprised at the sudden invitation to sit with them. So she has been here for a while, Ciel decided, if she knows we should be angry at her for listening. A forced smile twisted Hermione's lips as she took her usual seat, opposite to Shion.

'Lunch is overrated,' she said. If she hadn't been studying with them so often and Ciel wouldn't know her quite well by now, she could have passed for cheerful. Nezumi asked if she had been in the rush to get to the library and Shion commented that she was there before and Ciel could see the emotions twirl in Hermione's brown eyes. Was she worried about something? She seemed quite happy before, if rather shocked but, as Shion mentioned that she had been in the library before, Hermione suddenly seemed worried.

'I know I was here before, but Ginny asked me for help,' she said, probably in reply to Shion's comment. Lie, Ciel thought. 'That's what she came for. There was still time before we meet to study, so I thought that I might go and help her. Then it got late so I ran back,' she explained. Lies, Ciel thought, careful to not let his thoughts show. There was still plenty of time, because it was barely lunch time. What did Weaselette want that made Hermione run like that?

'Well, I brought the book for you,' Shion said. With a sort of relieved smile, Hermione took the book and started talking about it. Ciel spared a glance at Shion, who seemed unnaturally worried for the situation. Nezumi was looking at Ciel, so he smirked at him, before looking back at Hermione, right on time to see her stiffen up when Shion asked why she mentioned the Invisibility Cloak.

Aha, Ciel thought, triumphal. Potter and Weasley were probably sniffling around. Could they have been listening to their whole conversation? That would have been bad, he decided, barely remembering to listen to Hermione's stammering excuses.

'Well, now we have a definite proof that Potter has an Invisibility Cloak,' Nezumi commented and even without looking at him, Ciel knew that he was smirking. Hermione looked at his brother and nodded, before saying that she thought it was only fair they knew, for which Nezumi thanked her. Probably with his most charming smile, if Hermione's blush was any indication.

Keeping an eye on Hermione, Ciel turned back to the book and asked what they were going to study. If Hermione heard them talking about curses and dark magic, she will go looking and probably find her answers. If she heard about the reasons for Shion's detentions, well that would just make her more sympathetic towards the white-haired curse victim. Poor Shion, he will have a third girl feeling sorry for him, Ciel thought with a mental chuckle.

'Say, Ciel,' Hermione started and he saw curiosity in his eyes. He raised an eyebrow to tell her that he was listening. 'Your earrings, Lizzy said they have something to do with the family,' she said.

'They do,' he agreed, wondering where she was going with the conversation. 'Don't make me explain though, it's a story that dates back to the Victorian times and it is, actually, quite boring,' he added lightly. Hermione grinned momentarily.

'No, I'm more curious why Nezumi doesn't have them,' she said casually, but the words were like a punch in the stomach to Ciel. He stared at her for a moment, wondering why she chose this particular time of the year to ask the question, as memories of the fire flashed in front of his eyes. He jumped in his seat, when Nezumi kicked him under the table, and he glanced at his brother, who nodded slightly. Ciel forced a smirk onto his face as he looked back at Hermione.

'Well why don't you figure it out yourself, hmm?' he asked pleasantly. 'I thought you liked investigating stuff and loved to spend the time in the library,' he added with a pinch of mocking. Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, before a mirroring smirk appeared on her face.

'Challenge accepted, Mr Phantomhive,' she said.

'Let me know when you figure it out, Miss Granger,' he replied, knowing very well that she would say something when she'd find her answers. He knew also that it wouldn't be that difficult to figure everything out. There were the archival editions of Daily Prophet in the library, dating much further back than twelve years ago, and the adoption got more than enough attention from the journal, since those things didn't happen often. There was, as well, a footnote in the "Noble and Pure Blood Families", next to Nezumi's name, saying "adopted", which would probably send Hermione right to the archival Daily Prophets.

'But for the moment,' Shion interjected. 'Why don't we go back to the homework?' he asked and talked about what he found so far. Ciel stifled a smile, knowing why Shion changed the subject. Hermione shared her thoughts on the problem they wanted to tackle, after Shion finished, but she was cut mid-sentence, by Sebastian, jumping onto Ciel's lap and meowing.

'You're not supposed to be in the library,' Ciel protested, shooing the cat off his lap. 'And don't give me that look, we will get in trouble if you stay here,' he added when the cat meowed at him in protest, not moving away.

'Maybe he wants to tell you something,' Shion suggested, leaning out of his chair to scratch Sebastian behind the ear. 'What do you want, Sebastian?' he asked. Hermione commented that it was an interesting name for a cat just as Sebastian jumped on Shion's lap. She giggled.

Ciel was about to open his mouth to protest that it was a normal name, but Nezumi's mice jumped onto the table and Hermione gasped. They all but ignored everybody, except for Nezumi and he frowned as they squeaked and screeched looking like they were all talking at the same time. What was so important that it couldn't have waited till they were somewhere, where Madame Pince wasn't about to yell at them for having the animals? Ciel sighed, but when Nezumi glanced at Shion and then at him, before his angry eyes settled on Hermione, he got worried.

'They are telling me that Potter and Weasley are hiding under the Invisibility Cloak in the boys' showers, in the Ravenclaw tower,' Nezumi said calmly and quietly. Ciel gritted his teeth, feeling furious as the words sank in.

'They are what?' Hermione hissed after a moment it took her to overcome the shock. With the corner of his eye, Ciel saw Shion grip the edges of the table, trembling. There was no doubt what Potter and Weasley were waiting for and it was sickening to think that they were, actually, invisible and would, had the mice not seen them, succeed.

As those thoughts crossed Ciel's mind, Shion all but jumped up from his chair, making it fall with a loud clatter, and ran out of the library while Sebastian hissed in protest at the rough treatment. Without a second of hesitation, Nezumi ran after him. Ciel, on the other hand, focused on Hermione, pinning her to her chair with a furious glare.


	15. Ch 14: Truth

**Ch. 14: Truth**

Under his glare, Hermione swallowed and looked down for a moment, before looking back at him, seemingly finding her courage. He didn't say anything, waiting for whatever it was that she had to say and he could see that she tried very hard to not be intimidated. He knew, also, that she would lose the staring match.

'Look, I didn't know anything about that, alright?' she said finally and, when Ciel didn't reply, looked away. 'Fine. I suspected they might be up to something, when Ginny came to sit with me and Shion earlier today. I also saw Harry and Ron with her at the entrance, but then they were between the shelves,' she paused to sigh and glance at him. 'I knew they were planning something, but I had no idea what. That is why I ran after Ginny, but she just went back to the Gryffindor tower, so I came back to the library and, yeah, you know the rest of the story.'

'Yeah, you eavesdropped on our conversation,' he agreed coldly, making her look up and shake her head.

'I didn't. I just walked in and I heard maybe the last two sentences,' she promised and Ciel could see that she wasn't lying. It was still probably too much, but at least he knew that she didn't listen on purpose. Small consolation, he thought, in the light of the current events. With a sigh, he looked away from Hermione and leaned back on his chair, petting Sebastian, when the cat jumped on his lap again. It was amazing that Madame Pince wasn't there yet, complaining about the noise, but then, maybe she was having lunch or something.

'So what happens now?' Hermione asked after a while of silence. Ciel shrugged.

'You want me to guess?' he asked, looking at her. She nodded. 'My guess is that Nezumi will send Hamlet and Cravat to sneak in on Potter and Weasley and bite their ankles when they least expect it, probably when the shower rooms are full of people,' he said lightly, amused at her alarmed expression. 'They will betray their presence and the Ravenclaws will start a riot because, honestly, it is outrageous to be spied on in the showers.'

'But they will get into serious trouble,' Hermione exclaimed, making a move as though she wanted to leave. Ciel's gaze hardened into a cold glare and she slumped back on her chair, biting her lip. 'I mean serious trouble,' she repeated almost pleadingly. Ciel shrugged.

'Right now I couldn't care less if they got expelled,' he told her honestly. 'Curiosity and sniffing around is one thing, but this,' he trailed off and shook his head. 'They already are in serious trouble, even if the teachers let it slide,' he added with a smirk. He watched Hermione nod and look down and he wondered if she really didn't know about the plan.

'I'm sorry for their behaviour,' she said finally. 'They were always too curious for their own good, but I always told myself that we did save the day couple of times. You know, with Quirrel or with the basilisk,' she trailed off and shrugged. If she wanted to continue, Ciel didn't know, because Safu and Elizabeth chose this moment to arrive, asking about the whereabouts of Shion and Nezumi. Ciel magicked Shion's chair back to an upright position.

'I think they won't be joining us,' he said casually, but Safu looked at the notebook and pointed out that it was Shion's handwriting so he had obviously been there. Ciel flicked his wand and the notebook closed. He really didn't feel like repeating what Nezumi said. He wasn't sure if the words would pass through his throat.

'Is everything alright?' Elizabeth asked, sitting down with a worried expression. Ciel wanted to honestly say that it would be, but he couldn't be sure. He was pretty confident that Nezumi could handle Shion, but the thought that somebody invisible could be hiding just about anywhere was one that made a shiver run down his spine. An invisible person that was smart enough to get into places that they were not supposed to be. He could easily imagine Shion wondering if Potter and Weasley have been listening to their conversations or if they were lurking in his bedroom or- He shook his head.

'I cannot let Harry and Ron be caught,' Hermione whispered. 'They are my friends and they did save my life a couple of times,' she added, pleading for Ciel's understanding. Safu and Elizabeth exchanged worried looks.

'Be caught where?' Safu asked.

'In the Ravenclaw boys' showers,' Ciel replied, knowing that Safu and Elizabeth would patch up the rest of the story themselves. Like that he was spared explaining and could focus on Hermione.

'You're either with us or against us in this one,' he said, keeping his tone casual. 'It's not like you can tell us how outraged you are and then run to save Potter and Weasley so that they are spared the punishment. And believe me, they are much better off facing the headmistress than facing us,' he added, letting his tone grow threatening. Hermione was looking at him with wide eyes. She was spared from whatever else he might have said to her because Tsukiyo jumped onto the table and spit out a small capsule. Ciel took it without hesitation and opened it to read a small note hidden inside: "in the library".

'What do they say?' Safu asked immediately. Ciel looked at her and shook his head almost imperceptibly. He wasn't going to tell Hermione that they had a secret refuge in the Room of Requirement and, much less tell her what it was, so that she could attempt to get in there herself. Not that he expected her to ask the room for a Muggle library. Besides, he didn't think that Safu's presence there could help.

'Shall we get on with the studying?' he asked as though nothing out of order had happened, enjoying the surprised look on Hermione's face. 'Potter and Weasley, getting their ankles bitten, are not going to stop me from doing my best in my studies,' he added, smirking when Elizabeth giggled, probably at the image of Potter and Weasley being bitten by Nezumi's mice.

'Right,' Hermione muttered.

Impossibly enough, they had quite a productive study session. When time of the dinner was drawing near and they were getting ready to leave, Ciel glanced at the books and the bag Shion had left behind and, with a sigh, packed the notebook and the book that he knew belonged to his friend. He needed to put the other books back.

'Do you want me to take it?' Safu asked, nodding at Shion's bag. He shook his head. He didn't think that Shion would be back in the Ravenclaw tower tonight, not with Potter and Weasley lurking. 'I could go as well, you know,' the girl insisted.

'Yeah, I know,' he replied without enthusiasm. They normally didn't have secrets between the five of them, but Ciel knew of one thing that Safu possibly didn't and he didn't particularly want to complicate the situation any further. 'How about you help me with all those books? You know I don't study Runes,' he suggested, surprised, when Hermione offered to take care of them all. She did look like she felt guilty, he noted as he thanked her.

He slipped out of the library, with Sebastian and Tsukiyo in tow, when Safu was busy answering a question from Lizzy. His fiancée really was a person he could rely on, he thought, chuckling. She trusted him unconditionally and she probably saw that Ciel didn't want Safu to accompany him, so she asked a question that she knew would distract Safu for a quick moment. Wiping the fond smile off his face, before anybody could see it, he made his way to the Room of Requirement, arriving there and thinking how much he wanted to find himself in a Muggle library.

It might have not worked, of course, if Nezumi and Shion were not exactly in the Muggle library. Or if they simply didn't want to be disturbed, in which case Ciel really, but really did not want to disturb them. Just in case. It worked though. A door appeared in the wall and, quickly, Ciel slipped inside, closing it as fast as possible. Tsukiyo went to the other mice that were nibbling on something in the corner, while Sebastian curled up in front of the fire, watching Ciel with his red eyes.

He looked around. The books were there, alright, but the three armchairs, which were in front of the fire place the other time, gave way to a huge sofa and, walking around it, Ciel could see Nezumi and Shion sleeping on it. With a sigh, Ciel wished for a blanket and went up to them, noticing darker patches on Nezumi's jumper, where Shion's face was pressed against his chest.

Steel-grey eyes opened as he covered his brother and Shion with the blanket. So he wasn't asleep after all, Ciel thought and sat on the armchair that appeared, facing the sofa. This room really was pretty amazing, he decided for what must have been a millionth time. He dropped Shion's bag to the floor and simply looked at Nezumi.

'How did it go?' he asked quietly, after a moment of silence passed.

'As expected, I suppose,' Nezumi replied without much enthusiasm. 'After ranting about how it was impossible to go on like this, he said that he wants to leave and cried himself to sleep,' he added. Ciel could hear the pained edge in his brother's voice and he sighed, leaning back in the armchair, waiting for Nezumi to continue. 'Not that I blame him really. I hated the feeling of paranoia, when we suspected that Potter was trying to sneak into Slytherin to spy on Malfoy.' Ciel shuddered at the memory.

'I think it's time we burn that Invisibility Cloak,' he said coldly. Nezumi nodded. 'If McGonagall doesn't take it first,' he amended, sharing a smirk with his brother.

'Hamlet and Cravat were thrilled when I suggested they go to spy on the spies and bite their ankles when the showers will be full of people. I wish there was a way to tell them to do it when the sixth-years would be there, but I don't think they would know that,' Nezumi said, confirming Ciel's suspicions.

'Are you planning to sleep here?' Ciel asked after another moment of silence. Nezumi nodded and said that Ciel was welcomed to join them, but Ciel shook his head. 'I'll come back for breakfast and tell you how things in the Ravenclaw tower went,' he said. 'I'm sure you'll be glad to have some quiet time with Shion,' he added with friendly mocking and chuckled when Nezumi's cheeks blushed slightly.

})i({

Hermione noticed, without much surprise, that Harry and Ron didn't come to the dinner and her stomach churned with anxiety when she thought about the reasons. She was torn between worry for her friends and anger at them. Anybody else and she would have been furious at the very mention of this kind of idea, but they were her best friends and more than angry, she was hurt that they would think of something so outrageous. She saw Ginny's questioning gaze when Hermione sat at the Hufflepuff table with Safu and Elizabeth, but she looked away. Guilt wrenched her and she felt like she needed to prove that she wasn't going to save Harry and Ron from the trouble.

She was surprised when Ciel joined them for dinner, but the other two girls didn't say anything so she didn't either. However, she didn't fail to notice the insistent expression with which Safu was looking at the Slytherin. Ciel seemed to ignore her as he kept a casual conversation with Lizzy, and occasionally Hermione, throughout the whole meal.

Once she was back in the Gryffindor common room, Hermione ignored pretty much everybody, waiting for Harry and Ron to come back, but time passed and there was no trace of them. The other students went to sleep and the clock chimed midnight. Hermione was thinking to go to sleep herself, resigned that they would not arrive, when the portrait opened and she saw them walk in.

She took in their disappointed and angry expressions and watched how they stopped when they noticed that she was still up. She looked at them for a long while, wondering what she should say, if she should even waste her breath.

'You're awake,' Harry noted with a fake casual tone. 'Aren't you overworking yourself, Hermione?' he asked with some concern and she exploded.

'What the hell were you two thinking?' she yelled, grateful that they were alone. She didn't like to make a show of herself. 'Were you even thinking?' she asked. They looked at each other. 'Look at me when I'm talking to you! I want answers!'

'Hermione, what-' Harry, always the braver one, started, but she didn't let him make excuses or pretend that he didn't know what she was talking about.

'You know very well what I am talking about,' she growled and focused on Harry. 'You, out of all the people, after what you went through in the second year, after the fourth year, I would have thought that you would be more considerate.' Harry had the grace to blush at her words, looking honestly remorseful. 'You know first-hand how people say things that are not true, how difficult it is to have the hostile attention of half the school, how horrible it is to have people you thought friendly avoid you and spread hurtful lies,' she added and, with each word, Harry seemed smaller. She took a deep breath. Ron opened his mouth.

'Not to mention that the idea itself, regardless of your reasons, is absolutely outrageous,' she went on, not letting Ron speak. 'Did you even pause to think how it would feel to be observed by invisible people? Would you like that somebody spied on you as well?' she asked, feeling her anger burn. 'You should be happy that this is not a Muggle school or you would be expelled with charges of paedophilia,' she added, almost enjoying how Harry flinched at the accusation.

'Is that some Muggle disease? Anyways, what is there to be happy when McGonagall took his Cloak?' Ron asked. 'And we have a detention for a week!' he added, sounding outraged. 'A week with Snape, Hermione!' She was so furious that she didn't even know what to say.

'Ok, Hermione, I admit it was stupid,' Harry spoke up, looking at her and biting his lip. 'It was Ron's idea and it seemed like a good idea at the moment. We only wanted to sneak into the tower to look for clues, really. But then R-we realised that we are invisible and we could stay longer and,' he trailed off and looked down, as Ron narrowed his eyes at her.

'Just how exactly do you know what we did Hermione? We didn't even tell Ginny,' he said.

'How I know is none of your business, Ronald,' she hissed in reply, finally finding her voice back. Ciel's words echoed in her thoughts: "You're either with us or against us in this one," and she knew there was only one side she could take, at least for the moment. 'Right now I don't even want to talk to you and if you ever want me to consider forgiving you, you better go and apologise to Shion tomorrow.'

With those words, she turned around on her heel and left the common room.


	16. Ch 15: The House Curses

**Ch. 15: The House Curses**

Surprisingly enough, details about Harry's and Ron's stunt in the Ravenclaw bathroom didn't spread through the school. Hermione thought that maybe the Ravenclaw boys were too mortified at being spied on under the showers to tell anybody. They sure did avoid Harry and Ron, only shooting hostile glares in their direction. On their part, Harry and Ron had nothing to boost about, so they kept quiet as well, suffering through their week-long detention with Snape in silence, to avoid having to admit what they did to deserve it.

Hermione saw them come back to the common room, literally seconds before the curfew, looking tired and sometimes dirty, but didn't know the details of the detention. True to her word, she didn't even think of speaking with them until, a week after the incident, Shion asked her if she had forced Harry and Ron to apologise. He told her that they came up to him out of nowhere, mumbled "I'm sorry" and ran for it, because Nezumi happened to be there and he conjured up some fiery thing that chased them away. She could see that he didn't approve of Nezumi's attitude, even if he couldn't quite stop his lips from twitching into a smile when he told her about the incident.

As much as she was amused by the mental images that conversation produced, she sent a message to Harry and Ron, saying that it didn't count as a proper apology, considering the magnitude of their stupidity. She knew that their stunt made Shion seriously consider leaving Hogwarts and, from Safu's and Elizabeth's whispered conversation, she knew that he didn't come back to the Ravenclaw tower for a week. However, after the fifth time Ron found a spider on his desk and got a detention for screaming and disturbing the lesson, and the third time Harry managed to trip his cauldron onto Snape and earn a detention, Hermione started to wonder if Harry and Ron would be able to deliver a proper apology, even if they wanted to.

In attempt to not overthink that and to silence her guilty conscience, because Harry and Ron were her best friends and she started to feel sorry for them, Hermione busied herself with the "earring mystery", as she dubbed it for herself. She started with the "Noble and Pure Blood Families", a book detailing all the pure-blood families. It's most recent edition, from just the previous year, was in the library and there she found out that Nezumi, born on the 14th of December, was adopted into the Phantomhive family. Even though adoptions were not common in the wizarding world, it didn't surprise her all that much and, expecting that it would at least be mentioned in the Daily Prophet, she started skimming though the archives, starting from November sixteen years ago.

She found her answer on the last day of school before Christmas. The faded picture of a burning house on the front cover from the 15th of December caught her attention and she flipped to read about it, even though she was sure it wouldn't help her. She wished she had been right. The article took a whole page and, with some horror, Hermione read about a fire that consumed the Rutherford family house, killing Mr and Mrs Rutherford, while their son, Gratien Rutherford was miraculously rescued by a Muggle, Jeremy Allen, although it wasn't certain that the boy would survive the burns. There were photos also: one of a noble looking couple with a small child and one of a man who looked like an older version of Shion.

An irrational thought that Nezumi has been a cute kid crossed her mind before she went on to the following issues, finding out that the Phantomhives adopted the son of their friends, that the fire was magical, that- With a shudder, she realised that the fire occurred on the day of Ciel's and Nezumi's fourth birthday.

The next day, sitting on the train with Ciel, Nezumi, Shion, Safu and Elizabeth, she couldn't get the words and the photos out of her head. She couldn't even look at Nezumi and she couldn't focus on the conversation. It must have been noticeable, but nobody said anything for the whole trip. Only when the train arrived in London, Ciel, who was the last one to leave the compartment, except for her, turned to her and told her that it was alright and it was well in the past and they didn't really remember anything. Afterwards he left and she stood there, shocked, for another minute or so.

Hermione ended up having a nice Christmas break with her parents and, having received an invitation from Elizabeth on the first day of Christmas, she spent New Year's Eve with Lizzy, Safu, Shion and the twins. She got drunk, on champagne, for the first time in her life, she kissed everybody when they played "spin the bottle", and they played it until everybody kissed everybody at least once, and she saw the most amazing show of magical fireworks. Only when she was back on the train to Hogwarts did she remember about Ron and Harry and her ecstatic mood at having managed to steal another kiss from Nezumi faded away.

})i({

'So what have you done over Christmas break?' Lavender asked Hermione as they were walking, together with Parvati, towards the Defence against the Dark Arts classroom for the first lesson of the subject after Christmas. Hermione felt herself blush.

'You know, spending time with parents, nothing special,' she lied, but the girls weren't fooled. They kept pestering her until she caved in. 'Okay, okay, I might have gone to a funny party for New Year's Eve,' she admitted.

'Tell us, tell us,' Parvati insisted. 'Who did you party with?' she asked. It was not a secret anymore that something happened between Hermione and her two best friends and the Gryffindor tower was buzzing with gossip. The girls asked her a couple of times, but she always told them that she didn't want to talk about it.

'Did you party with Nezumi?' Lavender insisted, squealing, together with Parvati, when Hermione thought that her face felt hot. 'Did you really? Is there anything for real between you and him?' Hermione shushed them before they would get the attention of the whole corridor.

'No, there is nothing between us, I promise,' she said in a whisper. 'I was with him, his brother, Shion, Safu and Lizzy. It was really fun and,' she paused and bit her lip, unsuccessfully trying to stop herself from smiling. 'And I kissed him again,' she added and shushed the squealing girls again.

'How was it?' Lavender asked, while Parvati demanded how it was possible. Hermione giggled at their replies, finding that she enjoyed this part of gossip immensely. Also, she was feeling surprisingly liberated after the experiences of the New Year's party and she decided that it was time to change her image of a bookworm a bit.

'We were playing "spin the bottle",' she amended. 'I know it's a silly game, but if it lets you kiss hot guys, well, I'm willing to play it,' she paused for the other two to have time to agree with her. 'So I got to kiss not only Nezumi, but his brother as well and let me tell you, they are both better at it than Victor Krum,' she informed them, gleeful when their eyes grew as bit as saucers. Of course, she admitted "accidentally" that she kissed Victor Krum as well, so that was only to be expected.

'Wait, what if the bottle chose you and another girl?' Parvati asked, after she and Lavender had calmed down a little. Hermione giggled, thinking that, judging by the frequency of that occurring during the evening, Nezumi helped the odds more than a little bit.

'I kissed the other girl of course,' she replied as though it was obvious. Lavender asked her if she was the same Hermione that went to school with them before holidays, but they reached the classroom, so Hermione didn't have time to reply. Instead, she waved at Ciel and Nezumi, who were already sitting inside. She felt herself blush again, when Lavender and Parvati giggled behind her and the twins shared a confused look.

'I'm glad to see that you are so cheerful after your holidays,' Professor Cain Kruspe said drily and Hermione immediately slipped onto her chair, which still was between Harry and Ron. Lavender and Parvati stopped giggling and the twins turned to face the teacher. 'Better,' he commented, looking around the classroom.

'If any of you have read your book ahead,' he continued after a brief pause and Hermione was sure that his eyes flickered to her for split of a second. 'You would surely notice that the next chapter treats about the so called "House Curses".' Hermione noticed that Ciel and Nezumi twitched slightly, when the last two words left the teacher's lips. 'They are curses most likely encountered in old, abandoned buildings, especially buildings from the Victorian times or older. Can anybody tell me why?' he asked, looking at Hermione almost before she managed to raise her hand. 'Miss Granger?'

'The "House Curses", used by wizards to protect their homes, hence their name, are considered as dark magic and are forbidden. However, until after the Victorian times, the concept of "dark magic" was not well formed and thus many curses dating from that period or before are of questionable nature,' she said, ignoring Malfoy's condescending snicker. In front of her, Ciel wrote something on a piece of paper and pushed it towards his brother, who read the note and nodded almost imperceptibly.

'Correct, Miss Granger. Five points to Gryffindor,' Professor Kruspe said. 'During the Victorian times the anti-apparition wards were invented and most of the House Curses became redundant and were removed. This is why, today, they are more of a legend than reality,' he added and paused to sigh. 'I will not lie to you: you are never going to encounter them on your exams, because they are more than rare. I would have skipped that chapter completely, but there is a chance that some of you might venture to go treasure hunting and thus I am obliged to warn you.'

Hermione thought that she shouldn't be saying that if he wanted his students to do whatever homework he would assign. Herself, she listened with interest, as usual when a new kind of magic was in question. She made notes when Professor Kruspe listed the types of curses that were grouped under the inconspicuous name of "House Curses". There were the, so called, "entrance curses", usually placed on doorways, preventing people from entering. They were by far the most popular, except in vaults and private areas of public buildings, where "entrapment curses", which prevented a potential thief from leaving, were often used. While the latter usually took a form of a cage, materialising from thin air, around the culprit, there was no general pattern for the mechanism of the former. They were often fatal which, as Professor Kruspe said, was the main danger for people hunting for treasures in old, abandoned buildings or simply those charged with renovation. The third group, "alarm curses" was the least problematic although there were cases of people going deaf from prolonged exposure.

She found all that interesting, although from a purely academic point of view, until the teacher finished the lecture by mentioning that all the information about those curses was, of course, in the Restricted Section of the library. He didn't even give them homework! This is my chance to get an excuse to go there, she realised, heart beating faster. She took her time to pack her notebook and, when the classroom was almost empty, she walked up to the teacher.

'Yes, Miss Granger?' he asked pleasantly. 'I suppose you would like a permission to go to the Restricted Section now, wouldn't you?' he added with a knowing smirk and she felt that she was blushing.

'Well, yes,' she admitted. 'It is really fascinating. I have never heard about those curses before,' she added, biting her lower lip. Professor Kruspe laughed shortly and wrote her a permission to go to the Restricted Section, warning her that it was only valid for one week because he expected her to have time for regular homework after the next lesson. Grinning happily, she thanked him and turned to leave the classroom.

Only then did she realise that she wasn't alone with the teacher. Her smile faded when her eyes met a cold, blue gaze. However, before she had time to say anything, Ciel turned around and left the classroom.


	17. Ch 16: Answers

**Ch. 16: Answers**

Ciel wished that it had stopped snowing already. Yes, the castle looked pretty, yes, Hogsmeade looked like a Christmas village, but running in snow was a pain. Standing under the shower of hot water, Ciel felt too tired to move. Besides, at least now he had the feeling back in his fingers and toes and the burning in his lungs faded. This morning was worse than ever before, this winter, he thought. He closed his eyes and ignored the mocking comment Nezumi threw at him from outside the shower cabin.

Only when he heard his brother leave, did he stop the water and went about trying himself and putting on clothes, wondering if he would survive the teasing. It didn't help that Shion seemed to be better than him and the only excuse Ciel had was the asthma that he had been suspected to have when he was younger. It never got serious, but breathing in loads of icy cold air didn't help the matters and that day was particularly cold.

It was a statement of how bad his coughing must have been, when they were running, that Nezumi was waiting for him in the common room with a cup of steaming hot chocolate, rather than a mocking comment on his lips. He accepted the drink with a small smile and muttered thanks and they drank in silence for a while.

'I wish father didn't agree with you on the matter of physical exercise,' he said finally, watching Nezumi's lips twist in a mocking smirk. I should have stayed quiet, he thought. 'Can you spare me today?' he asked before his brother had time to say anything. Nezumi's smirk faded and he looked at him carefully, with some worry. 'And don't give me that look, I'm-' A cough prevented him from continuing.

'You're fine?' Nezumi asked mockingly. Ciel glared at him, but didn't say anything more. 'I didn't think you'd be so bad, sorry,' his brother added, but he waved the apology away. There was nothing to apologise for, if only Nezumi didn't mock him today. 'It was fine before Christmas.'

'It's quite cold today,' Ciel pointed out grudgingly. He finished the hot chocolate and put the cup on the table. 'I'm going to the library, I wanted to read about the charms Flitwick mentioned last time,' he informed Nezumi, glad to have an excuse to change the topic. He didn't like to discuss his health.

'I honestly don't see what is so interesting in charms,' Nezumi grumbled before taking the final sip of his hot chocolate. Ciel rolled his eyes.

'I honestly don't see what is so interesting in potions,' he countered and got up. 'See you later,' he added and left the Slytherin common room. At least charms don't get my hands dirty, he thought as he quickly crossed the semi-deserted corridors of the castle. He waved at some Slytherins that he met on the way and smiled at Elizabeth, who was heading towards the Great Hall with a couple of her Hufflepuff friends.

If only Nezumi didn't insist on running every weekend, he thought, I could also only be going to have breakfast. Instead, he was entering the library, ready to dive between the shelves laden with charms' books, when he noticed that somebody has been sitting at their usual table. Not that it was booked, or anything, but Ciel recognised Hermione's bag hanging on the chair and curiosity overcame him.

The Gryffindor know-it-all was spending more time in the library than he and Nezumi combined, even with the extra workload this year. He wondered often what she was researching when she was alone and this was his chance to find out. Looking around to make sure that she wasn't just around the bookshelf, he walked up to the table and flipped open the notebook on the last filled page.

What he saw was not exactly what he expected, although it didn't surprise him that much after Hermione got the permission for the Restricted Section from Kruspe. The words "entrance curses" were written in the middle, circled a couple of times. From them, various arrows pointed all over the page. He read through the notes at the ends of the arrows quickly, forgetting to be careful about being noticed.

Hermione found the main types of the curses. There were plenty of notes around each type as to the typical occurrence and the difficulty in casting, the type of death it resulted in. She also made a note that only one type was not lethal, but it resulted in brain damage. She crossed that out, with a small "impossible" next to it. Ciel smirked slightly when he noticed that, but his smirk faded when he read the "side effects" corner of the page.

Pressing his lips into a thin line, he slammed the notebook shut and went to pick up the book he wanted to read before coming back to the table and sitting down. He wanted to read while he was waiting for Hermione to come back, but he couldn't quite focus. Of course, with the lecture from Kruspe, somebody was bound to figure it out. It was lucky that Hermione was on their side, but what about the Ravenclaw students?

Shion had told him and Nezumi, when they have been running that morning, that Kruspe had offered him to skip that lesson, which was very nice from him. However, Shion had thought, and he was right, that it would have been too obvious, so he had declined the offer. He had also told them that none of the Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff students had requested to go to the Restricted Section after the lesson, so maybe they didn't think about that. Maybe not yet, Ciel thought grimly.

'Oh, hey,' Hermione's surprised voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked up at the girl. 'I didn't think you would be here so early,' she added, sitting down and looking at her notebook with some relief. Ciel wondered if he imagined the worried tone of her voice or if it was there.

'No, I suppose you didn't,' he said after a moment of silence and Hermione looked at him weirdly. Before she could ask him what was wrong, he spoke again. 'The entrance curses?' he asked, not even bothering to keep his tone casual. A moment of shock registered on her face, before she frowned.

'It's not polite to look through one's notebook,' she pointed out, but Ciel only snorted. If she was trying to bully him into abandoning the topic then she should try harder. Not that he was going to let the matter slide. He could not, considering how close she was to finding the answers.

'It's not polite to sniffle around,' he countered and she looked down. If he even had doubts to start with, he was sure now about the reason for which she made all those notes. He kept his eyes on her steadily, waiting for her to finally look up and speak, curious to see what her response would be.

'Gathering information about curses is not sniffing around,' she said although, when she looked up at him, her eyes well so full of guilt that he wondered who she was trying to fool.

'Side effects: pigment depletion,' he quoted her notes in a cold tone, watching her blush. 'Then with a smaller letters: what about the eyes?' he added for the better effect and she looked away. 'Why?' he asked simply. He could see her swallow. He could see her twist her fingers. He allowed himself a mental sigh of relief because she was not going to use the information she got against Shion, or against him and Nezumi, for that matter.

'I was curious, alright?' she said, looking up at him again. 'I've been told a couple of times that I'm too curious for my own good, although I like to think that I know where to draw the line. I wouldn't ever use that information to hurt Shion, I swear,' she added. When Ciel's glare didn't disappear, she repeated the last sentence and Ciel decided to not be mean with her. He softened his glare.

'Why didn't you try to ask?' he asked, shocking her with the idea.

'He wouldn't tell me, would he?' she asked back. Ciel shrugged. He had no idea what Shion would have done if Hermione asked him outright what had happened. He was a horrible liar and he didn't like to lie, that Ciel knew. He was quite adept at evading the truth but, when asked outright, he would often reply truthfully. It was something he and Nezumi frequently used against Shion, once they figured out the right question to ask.

'Well then, is it that? Was it an entrance curse?' Hermione asked. Ciel looked at her for a long moment, wondering what he was supposed to say. She pretty much figured everything out, although the question of the eye colour remained unanswered even for them so it would probably stall her indefinitely.

'You know it's not my secret to share, don't you?' he asked back and she nodded before the tiniest of smiles crossed her face for the briefest moment.

'But you did go exploring in some abandoned building this summer, right? This is a secret you can share,' she said and it took all of Ciel's willpower to not laugh. She was smart and she thought fast. Why the hell wasn't she in Ravenclaw?

'Possibly,' he said, fighting the smirk that threatened to give away the true answer. The west wing of the Phantomhive manor was as good as abandoned really. Hermione nodded, putting away her notebook. Apparently she had more than one, Ciel realised, when she pulled out another one.

'A place that possibly hadn't been used since Victorian times?' she pressed on. He was about to agree, even though it was a lie, but she spoke again. 'You know, I know that the Phantomhive family dates back way further than that,' she said. Fighting to keep a neutral expression, Ciel wondered if that was a hint or if she was merely showing off with her knowledge.

'Do you?' he asked, letting his voice sound mocking. The images from the manor came back to his head unbidden. After it has been established that Shion suffered from an entrance curse, the Healers in St. Mungo's raised an alarm. Ciel and Nezumi have been questioned by the Aurors and obliged to lead them back to the place where the incident had happened. Thankfully they had found the way, so Shion, who surely remembered the way, wasn't forced to go there again. This time, they had plenty of light, so Ciel could see the unimpressive insides of the room even from afar.

Upon the expressed wish of father and Mr Allen, who both had argued that making a show out of something that was probably the fault of a known Deatheater would only hurt the victim of the curse further, the matter never reached public knowledge. Amazingly, the Aurors had agreed. Ciel knew that they were rather unforgiving about things like that. However, all the objects and notes found in the protected room conformed to the story Mrs Phantomhive has given to the judges before, so they were forced to concede that there was nothing to worry about.

They had, of course, searched the rest of the house thoroughly, not stopping before they went through the personal belongings of father, Ciel and Nezumi. They hadn't found anything, they hadn't apologised and they have left. Shion, on the other hand, had spent a week apologising, as though it had been his fault.

'Yeah, I read that,' Hermione answered, unaware of the thoughts that rushed through Ciel's head just then. He was about to reply to her with some smart-assed comment, but Shion's voice cut it.

'What did you read?' he asked, sitting down next to Ciel, who took great pleasure in Hermione's alarmed expression. She looked at him for help, but he only raised an eyebrow, as though not understanding what she wanted.

'That the Phantomhive family dates back very far,' she said finally. Ciel had to give her some credit for managing to sound casual. 'I found it out when I was looking into the earring mystery,' she added. Was that true? Lucky girl, he thought with a smirk.

'It does,' Shion agreed. 'They have this room with a tapestry with all the family members and once we took a whole day to figure everything out,' he added. Ciel wondered if he was trying to distract himself or Hermione from the "earring mystery". Hermione said that she saw something like that in the Black's house and was subsequently forced to say how she even was in the Black's house. By the time she was finished, the other three arrived and settled around the table.

'Shall we do the Potions homework?' Safu asked. They had agreed, after the class, that the homework was plain cruel and they would share the load of research required on Sunday, rather than waste time.

'About Potions,' Hermione said suddenly. 'I noticed that Harry didn't spill the content of his cauldron onto Snape this week,' she added, with a fake-casual tone. Ciel bit his lip to not smirk, while Shion looked down. Hermione seemed to almost regret starting the topic, but it was too late.

'Didn't he? Maybe he practiced not being clumsy during the Christmas break,' Nezumi suggested, looking like a picture of innocence. Safu and Elizabeth looked ready to burst and even Hermione seemed to be on the verge of smirking.

'And I noticed that there was not a single case of Ron screaming because of a spider for the whole week,' she continued. Nezumi smirked at her.

'Yeah, so maybe somebody figured out what was happening and made us stop,' Ciel told her, knowing that she knew why those things were happening to her friends. Shion had found out over the Christmas break and insisted that it was enough of punishment and that he didn't want Ciel and Nezumi to risk being caught. Hermione looked at Ciel and then turned to Shion, who was still looking down. She seemed surprised.

'Can we laugh now?' Elizabeth asked pleadingly. 'I so wish we had lessons with the Gryffindors for once,' she added as Safu snorted. She was going to say something more, but suddenly, Nezumi sat up straight in his chair, glaring murderously at somebody. Ciel followed his gaze and saw Potter and Weasley standing next to the table, almost seeming to hide behind Hermione.

Nezumi moved but, before he could do anything, Ciel send him a warning glare. Not even his own brother dared to go against him when he glared like that. Satisfied that Nezumi would not do anything stupid, he looked back at the two Gryffindors glaring at them in turn, content when they flinched. They should know they were not welcomed. With the corner of his eye, he saw Shion look up in the sudden silence and shrink back in his chair upon noticing the intruders. They were bound to bring back bad memories for him.

'So are you going to stand here all day?' Nezumi asked venomously. Potter and Weasley exchanged insecure glances. They looked ready to run when Nezumi moved just a moment ago and now, when he spoke, they actually twitched. Ciel thought he could see satisfaction gleam in Shion's eyes for just the briefest of moments.

'No, we came here to apologise to Shion,' Potter, obviously the braver of the two, said, when it became apparent that Nezumi was not going to attack them, and turned to Shion. 'I'm sorry, we were stupid,' he said, which Weasley echoed although with slightly less conviction in his voice. When Shion didn't answer immediately, they looked worried.

'That's an understatement of the year,' Safu informed them coldly, her voice ringing clear in the heavy silence, surprising Potter and Weasley so much that they jumped. There was the glint of satisfaction again in Shion's violet eyes before he looked away, dismissing the Gryffindors.

'That's ok Safu, I just want to forget about that mess,' he said very quietly.


	18. Ch 17: Forgiveness

**Ch. 17: Forgiveness**

On that Sunday evening, Hermione realised just how unhappy she has been without the possibility to talk with her best friends. Sure, she grew to like the other five a lot and she did get along with Shion and Safu even before she got along with Harry and Ron, but it was a different kind of a friendship. She would never want to lose what she had with her "study group", but it could never replace Harry and Ron.

She was thinking about it when Ginny was babbling next to her about how all the girls were jealous of her earrings. She only half listened to her friend, smiling fondly at her words and half remembering going to the Muggle piercing parlour with Ginny. It has been quite an experience in itself. They had met in the Diagon Alley on the 28th of December and, together, had gone to the Muggle London to the same place where Hermione got her own earrings, years ago.

'The earrings are awesome,' she said truthfully, realising that Ginny was looking for some reaction from her. She hoped what she said was appropriate for the conversation. 'Even the ones you have to wear from the piercing parlour for now,' she amended.

'Thanks,' Ginny replied, grinning and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. 'They are even worth mom's complaining that I was mutilating my body,' she added. Hermione rolled her eyes. Mrs Weasley had even sent her an owl, saying how unhappy she was that Hermione convinced Ginny to get earrings. She had still sent a customary, knitted jumper, so she couldn't have been that upset. When she had received the owl, Hermione couldn't help but wonder what Ron and Harry had given as the excuse for Hermione's absence over Christmas.

'Uh, I'll leave you guys,' Ginny said suddenly and Hermione realised that Harry and Ron were there coming up to them, looking much more self-confident than they did in the library. Back there, they seemed ready to fly at the smallest hint of an incoming hex and Hermione didn't blame them. Being on the receiving end of not only Ciel's glare, but also that of Nezumi at the same time? Even if she thought they deserved it, she didn't envy them.

She hasn't seen them since then. When it became apparent that Shion wasn't going to say anything more to them, they disappeared. They did not come for dinner and they were not back in the common room when Hermione returned after dinner. She wasn't sure what do say to them.

'Hey so, are we good?' Harry asked before they sat down next to her. She nodded. Two grins were the answer to her nod and her friends settled down on the chairs next to her, looking even more relaxed. People in the common room shot them surprised looks, having gotten used to the fact that Hermione was sitting as far from Ron and Harry as possible, but she ignored them.

'Do you think that the devilish twins will stop cursing us behind our backs?' Ron asked and she blinked at him. 'Don't pretend that you don't know it was them,' he added, probably in reply to her expression.

'I wasn't pretending anything,' she protested. 'Whatever you want to know, you have to ask them because they never said anything about that to me,' she added. Of course, Ciel did suggest that they stopped because Shion asked them to. She was surprised that they actually listened, even though it made sense. After all, they were avenging his injury. When she asked, on the way to the dinner, if he had forgiven Harry and Ron, Shion had told her that he couldn't truly forgive them, but carrying a grudge wasn't in his nature. He had accepted their apology, because he knew it was important for Hermione and he shocked her by telling her that.

'I'll pass,' Harry told her with a grin and she giggled slightly, while Ron made a grouchy noise. 'I think I'll settle on ensuring your forgiveness and avoid them to the best of my abilities. And you have forgiven us, right?'

'If I didn't think you got enough detentions, I would probably make you apologise to all those poor Ravenclaw boys you've traumatised,' she commented lightly, not surprised when they both winced.

'They don't talk with us anymore,' Harry told her. 'Michael Corner is particularly furious because he was in on the scheme and the whole mess happened when he was just getting out of the shower, wrapped in a towel and he jumped and the towel fell and-'

'Can you please stop, Harry?' Ron interrupted him. 'I've been having nightmares since and I really, really don't need the reminder,' he added and Hermione couldn't stop herself anymore and she laughed out. She could easily picture the scene in her head, although she tried to not to think too hard about the details, and it was hilarious.

'Thanks, Mione,' Harry muttered. 'Your support is gratefully acknowledged.' He didn't seem at all amused and Hermione forced herself to calm down, pointing out that they were begging for a disaster, waiting in the shower.

'But it wasn't our fault that we were discovered,' Ron protested. 'We were well out of the way and everything, but then something bit my ankle. Then something bit Harry's and then the guys were suddenly all looking in our direction, because we made a noise and Michael flapped his hand and hit us and screamed and jumped and-'

'And then they all started screaming and called Flitwick,' Harry finished. 'I wish we never did that, although, since we did, I wish I knew what bit us. We didn't see anything, but it was pure chaos,' he added. Hermione knew, of course, but she was not going to tell them, not wanting to bring the conversation to her "study group". She actually didn't even want to discuss this incident anymore. She had spent far too long thinking about it as it was. Surprisingly, Ron came to the rescue.

'So hey, Ginny has been telling us that you kissed a girl,' he said, looking suspiciously interested. Harry's ears perked as well and she stared at them incredulously for a moment but they seemed to be serious.

'Well yes, even two of them and more than once, but I was drunk,' she replied, wondering if she had inadvertently created some crazy gossip in the Gryffindor tower. Harry's and Ron's eyes widened at her easy admission.

'You were drunk?' Harry asked. 'How did you get alcohol?' Hermione had forgotten how strict Ron's parents, and even Sirius Black, were when it came to age limits for the kids. She sighed and wondered if there was a way to downplay her little New Year's adventure. She didn't care to be "cool" in front of her best friends.

'Lizzy's parents are considerably more liberal,' she started. 'They seem to think that if Lizzy is allowed to do crazy stuff once in a while then she will not go doing even crazier stuff in secret,' she explained, watching their wide eyes. 'Don't look at me like that. My parents think the same, embarrassingly so,' she added, remembering the discussion with her mom about sex and boys.

'Really? My mom would have a fit if she thought I even thought about drinking,' Ron complained. 'Why can't I have friends whose parents don't mind?' he asked. Hermione bit her tongue on time to not say that he could have had friends like that, but his bathroom stunt crushed any chances he might have had. She was sure that, had things gone differently, her "study group" would not protest against Harry and Ron joining them. Now, however, when Shion had outright told her that he couldn't forgive them? They were way too loyal to each other to accept Harry and Ron truly.

'It was fun, really. We didn't drink too much either, but I'm not sure if I would dare to kiss a girl completely sober,' she commented.

'So, you kissed the guys as well?' Ron asked, sounding very unhappy about the conversation and looking even more unhappy when she blushed. 'All of them?' he added. Hermione wanted to say that it depended what he meant by all and how many he thought there were, but she stopped herself, remembering that it was not the sarcastic Slytherin twins in front of her, but Ron, who took everything seriously.

'Yep,' she said simply instead, watching his expression. She could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he processed that information. She could almost hear him think: so she kissed the Slytherin again.

'And you kissed the vamp- uh, Allen as well?' he asked, correcting himself hastily when her eyes narrowed.

'Yes, and trust me, he doesn't have vampire tusks,' she replied testily, before reminding herself that she was supposed to be making up with those guys and not arguing with them all over again.

'You changed, Hermione,' Harry said seriously and she bit her lip. 'The Hermione I know would never do those kinds of things.'

'You know it was just a game, right?' she asked. After all, maybe the gossip grew and half the tower thought that she had some sort of orgy for New Year's Eve. Harry nodded. 'It was just a game and it was fun. I think we should try to do something like that here as well.'

'Wait. But what if two guys would have to kiss?' Ron asked with a disgusted expression on his face and Hermione erupted in laughter again.

'Well then they kiss,' she said as though it was obvious.

'This is disgusting, Hermione,' Ron protested, with Harry echoing his thoughts, making her laugh again. After a moment, they looked at each other and started laughing as well. They didn't stop for a good ten minutes and, when she finally calmed down, Hermione's belly was hurting from all the laughter. It felt good.

In the following days, she made up for all the time she had spent being angry at Harry and Ron. For a moment, she forgot all about the entrance curses and drama and even the eternal fight between Gryffindor and Slytherin. They had a huge snow fight with Ginny and some other Gryffindors on one evening and they went to visit Hagrid the other day. He was overjoyed to see the three of them again and they spent a lovely time together.

'It's really good to have you back, Hermione,' Harry said, when they were going back from Hagrid's hut to the castle. They didn't have the Invisibility Cloak anymore, so they had to make it before the curfew, which was a shame. However, Hermione thought that maybe they would be happier without the Cloak, which gave them way too much advantage over other students.

'It was just a month, Harry,' she pointed out, because, even though she missed their company during that month, he sounded like she has been gone for a year at least. 'It's not like it's the first time we have been separated for that long and now you weren't even stuck with the Dursleys,' she added, making his wince slightly at the memory.

'Yeah, but we were forced to watch you together with those Slytherins,' Ron countered grumpily. 'That counts as double the time at least.'

'They are still my friends, you know?' she said, forcing her tone to remain calm. 'As much as will not let them insult you, I will not tolerate you insulting them,' she amended firmly and, when Ron was opening his mouth to complain, she raised her hand. 'And just so you remember, I was hanging out with Shion and Safu even before you guys realised that I wasn't so horrible.'

'We did loads of stupid things, Hermione,' Harry spoke seriously. 'I don't only mean in the first year, but this time as well. You were right, I forgot what it felt like to be stigmatised for something that I haven't done or had no control over,' he added, sounding sad. Overcame with the urge to hug him, Hermione whispered that it was alright and she didn't want to discuss that, even as a mocking voice in her head, sounding suspiciously like Ciel, wondered if Harry had looked up the word "stigmatised". She chased the voice away.

'Hey, don't I get a hug too?' Ron complained, so Hermione hugged him too, laughing and saying that they should hurry up before the curfew. They walked for a while in silence, before Ron spoke up again.

'And now it will be difficult to figure out what Malfoy is scheming about,' he said. Hermione stopped and looked at him incredulously. 'What is it Mione? We actually heard him say something about a scheme. Actually,' he paused and his eyes gleamed. 'Maybe you could get the help of the Phantomhives, huh? They have easy access to the Slytherin common room and they share the dormitory with Malfoy!'

'Are you serious?' she asked slowly, wondering if she had forgiven them too easily. 'Have you learnt nothing?'

'We learnt a lot Hermione,' Harry assured her quickly. 'Mostly about how to wash the most disgusting cauldrons without magic and separate different kinds of magical frog goo without magic, or how to scrub floor without magic,' he digressed with an annoyed tone. 'But we also know to not pick on the weak ones anymore or to invade people's privacy and stuff. But it's Malfoy we're talking, and this time we even heard him say that he's scheming.'

'But what can he scheme about? Voldemort's gone, his father is in Azkaban and there's really nothing left,' she pointed out, filing away the questions about the detentions with Snape for a later time. She still thought they had deserved the punishment, but separating different kinds of frog goo did sound particularly nasty.

'What if he got the idea to plant the House Curses around Hogwarts?' Ron suggested. Hermione felt as though an electric bolt hit her at those words and for a moment she very nearly panicked at the idea, before she remembered what she read and realised that in none of the books there was not a single mention on how to actually cast such a spell.

'He cannot plant House Curses in Hogwarts. Don't be silly Ronald, I'm sure that the castle is protected against something like that and besides, how would he know how to cast such a spell?' she asked.

'They are evil spells. You said it yourself on the lesson, Hermione. What if his father taught him to cast them? What if the Deatheaters used those kinds of spells?' Harry argued. An unwanted thought flitted across Hermione's head but she chased it away as impossible.

'This is insane, guys,' she said, willing herself to focus on the conversation. 'Malfoy would not be able to cast a curse like that anyway. I read about them and they require some complicated magic,' she added, grateful that they were well aware of her request to Professor Kruspe.

'Can you just ask the Phantomhives?' Harry asked. She looked at him as though he grew a second head. She would never, ever dare to ask the Phantomhives about the House Curses, not anymore. Ciel didn't outright confirm her findings, but his answers were as good as a confirmation. 'Not about the curses, no,' Harry amended, as though he had read her thoughts. 'I recon they wouldn't have told you even if they knew about it. I mean they can hardly endanger one of the other Slytherins and I imagine that Malfoy would get expelled or thrown into Azkaban for that. Just ask them if they know of any scheming.'

She wanted to tell them that she didn't think the Phantomhives would do anything to help either of her best friends, but she realised that it would be better than letting Harry and Ron sneak into the Slytherin common room or, worse yet, to Malfoy's dormitory. Ciel and Nezumi might have honoured Shion's wish to stop their punishment, but she didn't think anything would stop them if Harry and Ron did anything against them personally.

'Fine,' she said, pretending to be unhappy. 'I'll try to ask them, but you have to give me some time to figure out how to do that. Alright?' she asked. They nodded eagerly. 'And you promise to not do anything stupid in the meantime?' she asked and they nodded again.


	19. Ch 18: Quidditch

**Ch. 18: Quidditch**

Hermione fully intended to stall as long as possible with asking Ciel and Nezumi about Malfoy's scheming, in order to keep Harry and Ron in line. In fact, she hoped they would get distracted with the preparations for the Quidditch match with the Ravenclaws and forget it altogether. If their stunt in the showers had any good sides it was to turn Michael Corner against them and they were rather desperate to win. It seemed like her plan would work out, because the game was all they could think and talk about.

While kept quiet from the general student audience, obviously the shower incident was not a secret within the Ravenclaw House. Safu told Hermione that Michael Corner was hell-bent on defeating Gryffindor in Quidditch in revenge for his "personal humiliation" in the shower. Safu highlighted that Cho Chang, who was Michael's girlfriend and who had stopped talking to Harry after the shower fiasco, had specifically used the expression "personal humiliation". She also added that maybe she was actually grateful to Harry and Ron for making complete asses of themselves, because it took everybody's attention from Shion and the atmosphere in the House was a bit better. Hermione wasn't sure if she appreciated that last comment, but she kept her mouth shut.

Somehow the tension between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw escalated as the temperatures rose and the match was drawing nearer. It went as far as a couple of students being punished with a detention for fighting in the corridors. Hermione wasn't sure how it was possible from the Ravenclaw side of the conflict, but she could witness herself how Harry and Ron egged the other students in their House on. Michael's obvious enmity helped and Ron made a case of suddenly being attacked by the guy for having done nothing wrong to him.

Sometimes Hermione wondered if that was life in a normal, boarding school, without the shadow of a threat from a mortal enemy. She tried to remember if it had been the same previously, but somehow either the whole school was against Harry or she had been so wrapped up in whatever they were trying to solve, that she nearly forgot everything else.

Except for the approaching game, nothing much changed. The teachers seemed to think that the upcoming spring was a reason to give the students yet more homework and McGonagall announced that the sixth year students would have a sort of mock exam in the end of the year, parallel to the OWLs and NEWTs for the fifth and seventh year students. She said that it was the best way for the students, and the teachers, to know if everything was on the right track to passing the NEWTs in the following year.

Harry and Ron, and most of the sixth year students really, complained about the idea and claimed that they didn't need another test, that the stress would kill their motivation to study, that they rather focused on learning new things than revising before the exam. Every single teacher pointed out that they didn't need to revise and they should treat this as a test on how much they remembered without revising because, hopefully, that would be the part of knowledge that they would not need to revise before the actual exams the following year.

After the initial euphoria of having Harry and Ron back and, on that occasion, missing two study afternoons in the library, Hermione went back to the routine. The others seemed almost surprised to see her back, but happy also. They haven't once mentioned the shower fiasco, or Harry and Ron. They didn't talk about the Quidditch game either. She found it refreshing.

On the week of the game, they decided to meet on Saturday to study. By then, the castle was nearly trembling with excitement and some students were already walking around with their House colours painted on their faces. Hermione, Safu, Shion, Ciel, Nezumi and Lizzy were the only ones in the library and even Madame Pince seemed to be surprised at their stubbornness in studying.

'I thought Ginny would throw a fit when I told her that I would be studying today,' Hermione commented as she was packing her books in the evening. The twins were already gone, saying that there was something they needed to do before the following day and Lizzy has been having a cold for a couple of days and she had given up halfway through the studying session. She said she might even skip the game if she thought that staying in bed would help.

'I know what you mean,' Safu agreed, also packing her books. Shion had offered to put the ones they took from the library back, so the girls were alone for the moment. 'The girls in the dormitory were also amazed when I told them that we actually moved the study session, but when I mentioned that we were combining efforts to manage the Transfiguration homework, they understood.'

'I wish people in Gryffindor were as understanding when it came to studying,' Hermione commented with a sigh, getting up, ready to leave. Safu shrugged.

'We were always surprised that you didn't end up in Ravenclaw,' Shion informed her, arriving back empty-handed. He picked up his bag and waited for Safu to be ready. 'Although there are some other people we wonder why they were sorted as they were, you are the weirdest actually,' he added in a casual tone. Hermione noticed that he seemed more relaxed these days. He wasn't jumping at the smallest sound anymore or looking over his shoulder constantly and he smiled more, reminding her more of the brown-haired version of him that she remembered from the fifth year.

'I was quite happy to be sorted into Gryffindor,' she said.

'Was?' Safu asked immediately. She didn't seem hopeful or anything, just genuinely curious about the use of past tense. Hermione grinned.

'I still am, really. All in all, I have no idea how things wound have gone if I had been sorted into Ravenclaw, which, by the way, I thought was the only possibility,' she admitted. For one, she thought, Harry and Ron would never defeat Quirrel and Voldemort would be back a couple of years earlier. However, she wasn't sure if mentioning her friends was a good thing to do.

'Of course,' Safu agreed easily. 'Your silly friends would have died on one of their quests,' she added, surprising Hermione by mentioning them. She laughed. 'Don't look at me like that, I told you what I think already.'

'Yeah, you did,' Hermione muttered and shook her head. 'So are you looking forward to the game tomorrow?' she asked, mainly to change the topic. Safu laughed and said that she was looking forward to seeing the Gryffindor red and gold butts kicked the following day. Pretending to be insulted, Hermione replied that they would surely kick the Ravenclaw blue and bronze butts instead because they were the best. Both of them laughed out loud, drawing curious glances from the students that were passing by on the corridor.

'I think we shouldn't be seen together with Hermione tonight, Safu,' Shion commented with a grin. 'I think people are starting to think that we are betraying our House,' he added and Safu's eyes widened in a theatrical expression. She opened her lips and closed them pouting.

'Damn it, I don't remember any of Nezumi's quotes,' she complained as they reached the Great Hall, where most of the students were already having their dinner. 'Are you going to join us Hermione? To further confuse the others?' she asked. Hermione glanced to see the twins already sitting there. It meant they would all sit at the Slytherin table and that was something Hermione refused to do.

'Not this time,' she said. 'I get indigestion when I'm too close to Malfoy,' she added. She bid her goodbyes and went to the Gryffindor table, where Ron was green with worry.

})i({

Ciel has never been a fan of sports. Actually, that was understatement, especially concerning Quidditch: he hated it. He hated flying on a broom. He hated the idea of willingly putting oneself in risk of being hit by a Bludger or by the bat of the other team's Beater. He thought that anybody who wanted to play Quidditch must have mental problems.

Running, going to the gym – those kinds of things he could understand. He knew that keeping in shape physically was important. But Quidditch? The very thought made him shudder. Even watching the sport was not agreeable, with the draughty platforms and the sweating crowd.

Consequently, when the whole school was trembling with excitement for the game between the Gryffindor House and the Ravenclaws, he was calmly having his breakfast, sitting at the Slytherin table. He wasn't even planning to go, especially since Elizabeth, who insisted that socialising was important, was down with a cold. She had sent him a message, earlier in the morning, saying that she would be staying in bed, sneezing into her pillow.

'I was thinking to go to the game,' Nezumi, sitting next to him, said casually. Both Ciel and Shion looked up at him in surprise. 'Well, whoever gets their asses kicked, I'm going to enjoy that,' he explained. Ciel rolled his eyes.

'I was thinking to skip it,' he said. As though on cue, they both looked at Shion, who blushed at the sudden attention focused on him. Tough luck, Ciel thought, you should have stayed at the Ravenclaw table with Safu and Loony or Luna or whatever-her-name-was.

'Are you going to make me decide if we go?' Shion asked. 'You know I don't really care. I wish this game was in the end of the year and that it kept the attention of everybody longer than until today,' he added. There was, of course, a chance that Michael Corner would not go back to his little investigation after the game, but none of them were too optimistic about that.

'I say we go,' Nezumi repeated stubbornly. Ciel could understand his point of view. It was true that watching Potter or Weasley fall of the broom, or Corner being hit with just about whatever, could be funny. But was it really worth the cold wind and the annoying cheering? Was it really worth being squeezed between other students that were shouting and jumping and generally being a pain?

'I say we don't,' Ciel countered without a second of hesitation. 'Lizzy says we don't as well,' he added, making his brother roll his eyes.

'Well Safu says we go,' Nezumi countered, continuing their childish argument.

'You guys,' Shion sighed. 'Exactly how old are you?' he whined. Ciel knew that he hated taking decisions for more people than just himself, always worrying that it will not be a good decision he would take.

'Sixteen,' they both answered promptly. Ciel could see Nezumi trying to put his most charming and inviting smile on his face. With a sigh, Shion looked back to the Ravenclaw table. Last year he would have been there, with Safu and the others, excited about the game. He looked back at them and Ciel knew that he won. For once, just for once he won over Nezumi.

'I suppose we can keep Lizzy company,' Shion said. Ha, Ciel thought, in your face Nezumi! He of course didn't let his thoughts show, as opposed to his brother, who was obviously disappointed at his antics not working. 'She must be pretty lonely,' Shion added, not looking at either of them. For a moment, Ciel thought that he was fighting a smile. Was he only checking how much Nezumi would follow him? That sly thing, Ciel thought, we taught him too well.

'She is sneezing her brains out,' Nezumi protested, looking at Shion incredulously, but Ciel knew that he would follow, and he knew that Shion knew that too. Shion looked at him with his best pleading look. 'Fine,' he agreed grudgingly. As they left the table, Ciel was sure that he could see Shion biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. Unfortunately for Shion, so did Nezumi, if his narrowing eyes were any indication.

'You should still practice,' Ciel whispered as they made their way towards the Hufflepuff basement. Shion grinned at him brightly.

'I was just testing a theory,' he whispered back. 'Just something you said another day,' he added cheerfully.

'I still hear you,' Nezumi growled from behind them, but he didn't sound angry.


	20. Ch 19: Grace period

**Ch. 19: Grace period**

Ravenclaw won. It was a very emotional game and Gryffindor was just this close to winning, but then Cho Chang did a masterful faint and, with a huge grin, caught the Snitch. In the gloomy, Gryffindor common room, Ginny accused Harry for still having a weak spot towards the girl, but they all knew that Cho had simply been the better Seeker that day.

Harry's excuse was that he had been too busy avoiding Corner's bat and the Bludger that the boy was sending at him and at Ron in turns. It was true that the game was also particularly vicious and, after it was finished, half of the players went to the Hospital Wing to be patched up by Madame Pomfrey. Harry and Ron returned from there in foul moods and went to sleep immediately.

Over the next couple of days, the excitement died down, although the Ravenclaws were talking about defeating Slytherin in the last game and finally winning the cup. Hermione couldn't care less, since Gryffindor would not win anymore, and she happily welcomed the more relaxed atmosphere that was slowly returning to the Gryffindor common room as the emotions cooled.

With a sigh, she looked up from the book she was reading, only to notice that it was almost time for dinner. She stretched lazily and remembered that Professor Flitwick didn't give them homework that day, because he was so overjoyed at the result of the game, so she could enjoy the evening off for once. That's an idea, she thought to herself, I'll have a calm, relaxed dinner and then just gossip away in the common room.

With that thought firm in her head, she closed the book and went to put it away on the bookshelf, smiling as she noticed Shion with a pile of books, also putting them away. Has he been in the library as well? Did I get so used to that white head that I didn't notice it immediately? She supposed it would be a good sign if that was the truth because, as far as she has been able to find out, there was no way to return his hair to its previous colour.

'Hello,' she said in a light tone, putting the book back on its place. He turned to her and smiled, echoing her greeting. 'Aren't you in the common room, enjoying yet another celebration?' she asked. Safu said that they have been partying every evening, which even she thought was too much. Shion laughed.

'Nope,' he said, stating the obvious. 'I'm enjoying my grace period though,' he added in a light tone, putting one of the books where it belonged. Hermione followed him to another bookshelf.

'Grace period?' she asked, curious. She thought she could see him wince briefly, but when the replied it was in a light, casual tone.

'My guess is that, when the euphoria after winning against Gryffindor dies down, Corner will be back to stalking me and trying to peek under the shower,' he said. A shiver ran down Hermione's spine. 'If I didn't know better I would have thought that he's interested or something,' he added with a laugh. 'Not that this would be a comforting thought.'

'About that,' she started uncertainly.

'You know, we haven't won against Gryffindor since Potter became the Seeker,' he continued as though she hadn't spoken. 'That means of course that I don't remember the times when we did, but the guys in the older years were always complaining. The seventh years are ecstatic now, you know. They're the ones throwing the parties,' he paused to put a book on the shelf it belonged to. Hermione was impressed. He was obviously trying to steer her away from what she wanted to talk about, yet his words sounded causal and not rushed or desperate at all.

'You weren't even at the game,' she accused, remembering Safu's disappointment. He glanced at her with surprise and then grinned. 'You talk now like you cared about the damned game and you weren't even there,' she added, making him giggle.

'Five points to Gryffindor, Miss Granger,' he said, trying and failing to mimic Kruspe's accent. 'We went to visit Lizzy,' he explained in his normal voice. There was something he wasn't telling her and she was itching to ask. He seemed to ignore her as he put the second last book on the shelf, but she thought suddenly that he really wanted her to ask about that and she remembered what she wanted to ask him in the first place.

'I wanted to ask you,' she started in a rush and saw him freeze momentarily. She realised that he knew what she wanted to ask and wished she wouldn't, but Hermione knew she would never get the courage to ask if they weren't alone. 'I couldn't help to think about it after the lecture on Defence against the Dark Arts,' she said and paused awkwardly when he glared at her with those unnatural, violet eyes. It wasn't really the glare that stopped her from talking, but the colour and the implications of her own words, her little white lie.

'Ciel said you have it all figured, so spit it out,' he said in a cold tone, shocking her. Ciel told him? 'Ask what you want to know,' he added, not sounding so angry anymore, but still looking at her unblinkingly. She had to look away.

'So it was an entrance curse,' she stated more than asked. He nodded curtly and she swallowed, for the first time not feeling triumphal to have figured out a mystery. She was about to say something more when another voice cut into their conversation and she froze in panic.

'So it was an entrance curse,' Malfoy sneered, emerging from behind the bookshelf, Crabbe and Goyle in tow as usual. Hermione could see Shion freeze momentarily, before relaxing again and raising his chin slightly as he faced Malfoy with a glare. 'That's almost disappointing to know,' he added, reaching out to grab Shion. He pushed his hand away.

'Don't touch me Malfoy. You're so filthy I might start to rot,' he said in a cold tone, surprising Malfoy and shocking Hermione. She turned to Malfoy, watching for his reaction, wondering if he was going to ignore her.

'For a mudblood to say that,' Malfoy laughed, but Shion seemed completely unimpressed by the insult. 'Tell me what happened then. Did you stumble upon Deatheater Phantomhive's secrets?' he asked. Hermione gasped at the insinuation and Malfoy spared her a condescending glance before turning back to Shion who simply smirked mockingly and turned to put the last book away.

'Don't turn your back on me mudblood,' Malfoy growled and nodded at Crabbe and Goyle. His two goons grabbed Shion by the arms, forced him to face Malfoy and pinned him to the bookshelf behind, making him wince as his head hit the books and the book he was holding fell. All that happened in the time Hermione had to gasp and reach out in a silly attempt to stop Malfoy. To her surprise, Shion looked almost bored.

'Really Malfoy,' he sneered. 'Aren't you able to do anything on your own at all? Do they dress you up in your awesome underwear as well?' he asked mockingly. Wide-eyed, Hermione wondered if he was trying to provoke Malfoy, because it was working brilliantly. With a sneer, Malfoy slapped him with such a force that his head turned to the side from the blow.

'Stop it Malfoy,' Hermione gasped and went up to them, but Malfoy pushed her away, not even looking at her, telling her to run crying to Potter if she wanted. He grabbed Shion by the collar of his shirt.

'I know it was Phantomhive, I'm not stupid,' he hissed. 'I'll make him pay and you know what? I've been preparing for this. I know that your bodyguards will not pop up here in a moment so I think I might start by rearranging your face,' he added and punched Shion hard in the stomach, making him gasp in pain. Hermione was surprised he didn't scream because, judging from the motion of Malfoy's arm, he would have probably doubled up in pain, if Crabbe and Goyle were not holding him.

'Stop it Malfoy,' Hermione repeated, this time with a shrill scream, reaching out for her wand. Malfoy turned to her with a glare.

'I told you to leave, mudblood,' he hissed. 'Or would you-'

'That will be ten points from Slytherin for the use of foul language,' said a cold, accented voice and they all turned to see Professor Kruspe standing on the other end of the bookshelf. He didn't seem impressed as he made his way towards them. 'And I imagine a weekend-full of detention for the three of you for attacking another student,' he added with a pleasant smile that didn't quite reach his cold, blue eyes.

Malfoy was smart enough to not reply although he didn't really seem to be that worried about being caught or given a detention. Professor Kruspe glared at Crabbe and Goyle and they let Shion go so fast that it looked like he had suddenly burned them. The white-haired boy leaned against the bookshelf, holding his stomach.

'And by "weekend-full" I mean Saturday and Sunday, from dawn till dusk,' the teacher amended and Malfoy paled a bit. 'Hagrid has asked me to help him with some new, magical creatures that he ordered for your lessons, because he thinks that he cannot handle them on his own. I think you will make for good help,' he added. Hermione was gleeful at the panic on Malfoy's face and she thought that Shion was as well.

'Report to me at dawn on Saturday or it will be a detention till the end of the year,' Kruspe growled. 'Now get lost,' he added and turned to Shion. 'Are you alright?'

'Yes, thank you sir,' Shion replied and picked up the book. He had a red imprint of Malfoy's hand on his cheek and Hermione was sure that they teacher didn't miss it, but he just looked at him carefully and nodded.

'Off to dinner, both of you,' he said and magicked the book, out of Shion's hand, onto the bookshelf. Afterwards he turned and left the library and Hermione turned to look at her friend, wondering if he had lied to the teacher.

'Are you sure you're alright?' she asked with worry. 'That punch was-'

'I'll be fine, Hermione,' he assured her. 'It takes more than a punch to make me wish to go to the Hospital Wing,' he added drily. Almost before she realised what she was doing, she extended her hand to his cheek, but he turned away, saying that they should go or they would be late for the dinner.

Biting her lip, Hermione followed him out of the library, almost having to run to catch up with his fast steps. He didn't say anything and she had no idea what she could say to him, so she didn't say anything. It crossed her mind that she would have to tell Professor Kruspe that if Hagrid didn't think he could manage the magical creatures on his own then maybe they should evacuate the castle, just in case.

'Hey, we turn here,' she said when Shion missed the staircase that led down to the Great Hall. He stopped and looked at her, almost seeming surprised to see her there.

'Oh, I need to get something from my dormitory before,' he said after a short pause and only then did she realise that he was trembling. She frowned and made a step towards him, but he shrank back. 'I'll come down for dinner in a moment,' he added, turned around and left, not waiting for her reply.

She watched him go, for a moment, before deciding to go and tell Safu that she should check in on him. Having decided that, she went to the Great Hall and, only when she reached the bottom of the stairs, did she realise that the Ravenclaw tower was the opposite direction from the way Shion took. Worried anew, she found Safu, sitting together with Lizzy, Ciel and Nezumi at the Slytherin table. With a small wince, she went to join them.

'Hey there,' Lizzy, being the first one to notice her, greeted her with a wide smile. Lizzy was almost always smiling, Hermione realised, as she smiled back and greeted everybody before sitting down next to Safu.

'I thought you refused to sit at the Slytherin table,' the Ravenclaw girl commented lightly, passing the meat pie to Hermione. 'It's your favourite,' she added as Hermione accepted the dish and wondered how to say what she needed to say.

'I usually try to avoid Malfoy to not be called names when I'm eating,' she admitted truthfully, stalling. Lizzy agreed that it was indeed unpleasant, while Safu pointed out that Malfoy usually ignored them.

'And today he's ignoring just about everybody,' Ciel pointed out, nodding towards where Malfoy was, sulking and occasionally snapping and Pansy Parkinson, when the girl tried to talk to him. Hermione swallowed. She couldn't have hoped for a better opening.

'That's because he got a detention with Kruspe and Hagrid,' she said, watching how the eyes of the twins sparkled with curiosity and amusement. Wait till I tell you for what, she thought and continued before they could ask. 'For attacking Shion in the library,' she finished her sentence. Like she predicted, the amusement and curiosity were gone, replaced by glares in a matter of seconds. Lizzy gasped and Safu asked where Shion was.

'He said he needed to pick something up from the dormitory,' Hermione replied and, before she managed to say that he didn't seem to be going to the dormitory, Safu was up and leaving. 'But he's,' she started.

'Not going to the Ravenclaw tower?' Ciel finished for her, almost sounding like he was mocking her. With a glare for the mocking, she nodded. 'I'm sure Safu knows that,' he informed her calmly. 'So tell us: what happened in the library? I mean, Malfoy's an asshole, but he hardly goes attacking people just like that.'

Having no choice, Hermione told them about her conversation with Shion and that Malfoy heard her ask about the entrance curses and that he knew now. She omitted the part about the "Deatheater Phantomhive", not wanting to remember that their mother was locked away in Azbakan. This was one of those things she tried to not think about.

'So Malfoy is spying on us,' Nezumi commented when she finished. He seemed surprisingly calm for the situation, Hermione thought. 'That's a pain,' he added and Hermione thought back to what Malfoy said.

'Did you vanish his trousers?' she asked, looking Ciel right in the eyes. He seemed momentarily surprised by the question, but then he smirked slightly.

'I wish I could take credit for that,' he said lightly and she breathed a sigh of relief. The teachers failed to find the culprit, but Snape had suspected Harry and would not listen to reason, when Harry's wand was verified. Hermione didn't want to find out that it was another of her friends who put Harry in trouble.

'Why does he think it was you?' she asked as the thought occurred to her. Ciel shrugged and told her that the conflict between him and Malfoy goes back three generations at least. Shaking her head at the idea, she went about eating the dinner. Obviously the rest thought that Safu could handle the situation with Shion. She hoped Safu would. And maybe, just maybe, something would start between the two Ravenclaws, she thought with a smile, knowing that Safu wished for that. Hermione, in the meantime, should absolutely tell Harry and Ron about Malfoy's detention. They were going to love that.


	21. Ch 20: Brothers

**Ch. 20: Brothers**

If he was to be honest with himself, he wasn't too surprised that Malfoy was spying on him, and Nezumi by extension, planning his revenge. He wasn't surprised that Malfoy suspected him to be the culprit behind his shameful, pumpkin-infested show either. He had been more surprised when Malfoy didn't demand for Snape to check his wand in the aftermath of that performance. However, that didn't mean that he was happy to hear about it.

Maybe he should start to think about some permanent protection against malevolent spells, he thought as he ate the dinner that day. He had no desire to be made fun of in any way and, while Malfoy would most certainly not harm him in any permanent way, we wouldn't put it past the other Slytherin to vanish all of his clothes. Or restore to good old brute force and attempt to beat him up.

How bothersome, he thought. At least Hermione seemed to believe him when he said that it wasn't him to curse Malfoy. He was sure that Elizabeth would ask him again, once they would be alone, because she had looked at him speculatively when he had fed Hermione his lie.

He snapped out of his thoughts to listen to Hermione's description of the detention and some of his good mood returned. He was glad that Malfoy would pay properly for trying to beat Shion up again. Although, of course, the detention was nothing compared to the fact that Malfoy had learnt their biggest secret now, or rather, Shion's biggest secret. Ciel had no doubts that the Slytherin would use the knowledge most painfully.

'I hope they suffer,' Lizzy said in a manner completely uncharacteristic for her, after Hermione finished the short description of the detention. 'I hope that Hagrid has some absolutely nasty things in store for them,' she added viciously. Ciel smirked.

'Even if that means we will have to deal with them during the lessons afterwards?' he asked lightly, making everybody wince at the thought. 'Not that I don't want them to suffer, but I quite hope that it is nothing overly carnivore that Hagrid came up with,' he added, not even trying to hide his dislike for the teacher. Hermione straightened in her chair and Ciel remembered that he had seen her visit the half-giant.

'One thing you can be sure of,' she said, not sounding overly happy. 'Is that Hagrid hates Malfoy just as much as Harry does.'

'That's good for us,' Nezumi pointed out with a smirk. 'Kruspe has no love for Malfoy either, probably,' he added. Ciel wondered how it was possible that Nezumi was still sitting with them, allowing Safu to be alone with Shion. Then again, he thought, the latter was incredibly oblivious for a Ravenclaw, at least when it concerned girls.

'I find it amazing that there is, in fact, something you guys have in common with Harry and Ron,' Hermione commented with a laugh. Nezumi looked as though she had slapped him in the face and Ciel supposed that he had a similar expression. Hermione laughed harder and even Lizzy looked like she was amused. 'If that's any consolation to you, they would have reacted the same,' Hermione said, standing up and excusing herself from the table, saying that she needed to share the joyful news, about the detention, with her fellow Gryffindors.

Ciel watched her go for a moment, before shaking his head and finishing his dinner in silence. When they were all done, he suggested to Elizabeth that they would walk her back to her common room, just in case Malfoy got some stupid ideas. He didn't like the thought of having to walk around the whole castle with her and their two, friendly Ravenclaws, but if that was what was required, he was going to do it.

Nezumi agreed with him, when Lizzy tried to protest that it shouldn't be necessary, so they went with her, chatting idly on the way, as though it was nothing out of order for two Slytherins to walk a Hufflepuff to her dormitory after dinner. Really, Ciel thought, there shouldn't have to be anything out of order about that.

'You guys are sweet,' Lizzy said when they reached the entrance to her common room. Ciel smiled at her in reply. 'Really, though I suppose you should go and check up on Shion and Safu now,' she added and kissed Ciel's cheek, saying "good night". Ciel could feel himself blush.

'Don't I get a kiss?' Nezumi mocked them, faking a pout when she said he didn't. 'Well then, good night, princess,' he waved at her and they left.

'I wish I knew what Malfoy was planning,' Ciel muttered when Lizzy went through the door to her common room. 'Do you imagine how boring it's going to be to be on guard all the time now?' he asked.

'It's not like you were off guard before around Malfoy,' Nezumi pointed out as they made their way out of the basements. 'I suppose he's going to bask in the newly discovered gossip for a while now, so we can figure out some protective spells,' he added casually, as though he wasn't worried in the slightest.

'Do you want to make a detour by the Room?' Ciel asked, changing the topic. Not for the shortest while did he think that Shion actually went to his dormitory when he parted with Hermione. The Room of Requirement became a sort of sanctuary for the five of them, and especially for Shion, this year. In the previous years, they used it, of course, to spend some time together on the rainy or cold days or to get a rest from the rest of the school. This year, however, and even more so after the shower fiasco, Shion was spending so much time in the Room that Professor Flitwick started questioning him about his whereabouts in the evenings.

'I'm wondering,' Nezumi admitted with a heavy sigh. 'If we go and make a fuss out of that, it will be even worse. If we don't go and Safu would say something stupid,' he trailed off. Neither of them expected Safu to say anything stupid though. 'I suppose we can go back to the dormitory and make our plans concerning Malfoy tonight and if things are out of control tomorrow then we will wonder.'

'Your choice,' Ciel muttered, unconvinced. 'Although I suppose that we better not spend another night outside the dormitory or Snape will start to investigate,' he added, noticing how Nezumi winced at his words.

'That is a very good point, my dear brother,' he said. 'I would hate to test just how friendly Snape can be in the face of an evil curse also,' he added and Ciel nodded his agreement. Their head of House might have been one of the two teachers that haven't given Shion any trouble that year, but he wasn't getting nicer just because of that.

They were about halfway to their common room, when a hand shot out of the adjacent corridor and pulled Ciel into the shadows. Shocked as he was, he had his wand out and was opening his mouth to curse the attacker, before he realised that it was Safu. He sagged in relief and lowered his wand as Nezumi, who had also drawn his wand, pointed out that it was a very stupid thing to do.

'Whatever,' Safu commented and, as his eyes got used to the relative darkness of the corridor, Ciel noticed that she looked worried. In fact, she looked to be on the verge of tears, he realised with worry.

'Did something happen?' he asked, trying to keep the possible explanations of her distress under control. The last thing he needed was to start panicking about something when Malfoy could, in fact, be around the corner with a wand drawn.

'Shion locked me out of the Room,' she said without any preamble, shocking him out of his thoughts. Shion locked Safu out? 'Or I cannot figure out the place he chose it to be and cannot get in,' she amended grudgingly, looking away.

'And you want us to try?' he asked, wondering if there would be a reason for Shion to let him in if he didn't want Safu to come. She nodded, still looking away. She brushed her cheek impatiently.

'You know him best,' she said and sniffed. Was she crying? Ciel hoped she wasn't, because he really wasn't good in comforting people, especially crying girls. 'I thought I did as well, but maybe I don't know anything at all,' she added with another sniff and stiffened when Nezumi pulled her into a wordless hug. After a couple of seconds, she moved to hug him back and, for a minute or two, they stood in silence. Ciel watched them, grateful that his brother was there as well.

'I need to go,' Safu whispered eventually, pulling away from Nezumi, and left, nearly running away, not looking at either of them. They didn't say anything until her footsteps faded away. Only then did Ciel look at Nezumi, meeting the worried, grey gaze.

'I suppose you better go,' he said calmly, watching Nezumi's eyes widen and surprise and then narrow with an emotion that he didn't care to decipher.

'I? You don't want to go?' Nezumi asked, making Ciel roll his eyes.

'You know how good I am with emotional people,' he pointed out. 'I will just be sitting there, gritting my teeth at the injustice of the world, feeling out of place. Besides, if Shion doesn't even want Safu there,' he left the sentence unfinished, knowing that his brother would understand the unspoken message.

'Don't be stupid. Safu is "just" a friend and you're like a brother to him,' Nezumi pointed out. 'Or do I need to remind you of his sulking when he realised that we would be officially brothers?' he asked with a laugh and Ciel was forced to smile, despite the situation. He remembered, of course, how Shion seemed to be disappointed after he had found out that Nezumi and Ciel would become brothers as the aftermath of the fire. It took them a week to get it out of Shion that he wanted to be their brother as well.

'Besides, it's not like I'm going to leave you alone to be beaten up or something,' Nezumi added in a light tone, as they left the dark corridor. 'With all due respect, you cannot take on both Crabbe and Goyle.'

'I know I cannot do that,' Ciel replied testily, all his good mood gone. He didn't like to be reminded about his weaknesses and he didn't like to be reminded about Malfoy. 'Unless of course I curse them into the following week as soon as they make the smallest threatening move,' he reminded his brother in the same tone. 'You do not think that I would actually try to tackle them physically, do you?'

'Sorry, sorry,' Nezumi replied, not sounding extremely sorry at all. They walked in silence for a while. Wondering about Shion seemed pointless, since they would soon see what the situation was, so Ciel let his thoughts wander to Malfoy, inevitably arriving at the topic of the weekend detention with Hagrid and Kruspe. Shion was probably more than lucky that it was Kruspe who interrupted in the library because almost all the other teachers appeared to have something against him. Even Hagrid, whom Hermione seemed to like so much, has given Shion a detention in December. Because there was no real reason for the detention, Shion assumed it was because Hagrid was on Potter's side. Ciel wondered if Hermione knew about that.

'Ha! Easy,' Nezumi said, snapping him out of his thoughts as the door to the Room of Requirement appeared in front of them. Ciel shook his head at the triumphal smile on his brother's face. He was about to tell him to not get ahead of himself too much, but Nezumi opened the door and they entered a room that seemed to be the exact copy of the springtime sitting room in the Middleford mansion. It was completely random. There was no way Safu could have guessed correctly the room, so maybe Shion hadn't locked her out after all.

'Why here?' he asked, not expecting an answer, because Shion hasn't even moved when they entered. He was sitting on the floor against the wall, leaning against one of the huge windows, looking outside at the magnificent garden, where roses were in full bloom. Sun was shining through the windows, casting shadows in the corners.

'Because it has nothing to do with this mess,' Shion whispered tonelessly, not turning to look at them. If the room had been as big as the Muggle library, they wouldn't have heard him.

'How the hell did you figure it out?' Ciel asked Nezumi as they crossed the room.

'I didn't,' Nezumi replied promptly. 'I asked the Room to see Shion,' he explained with a smug smile as he sat down on the floor next to the boy, who still didn't move. Ciel sat opposite to him, leaning against the window with his back and turning to look at the other two. He could see now that Shion has been crying, but he seemed to have calmed down now.

He fully intended to let Nezumi handle the situation, so he waited for his brother to be the first one to speak or move, but Nezumi didn't do anything. He simply sat there, looking at Shion, waiting. Eventually, Shion took a deep, shaky breath and turned to look at them. Ciel gasped at the red imprint of a hand on his right cheek, which was previously invisible for them. Nezumi reached out slowly to touch it as Shion took another deep breath and exhaled shakily.

'I forgot the spell to remove it,' he whispered, his voice quivering, his eyes welling up with fresh tears. Without hesitation, Ciel took his wand out and waved it, casting a spell. The red mark faded from Shion's pale skin. 'Thank you.'

'Don't mention it,' Ciel muttered. A single tear rolled down Shion's face and Nezumi brushed it away delicately. Feeling as out of place as he had predicted he would, Ciel looked away from the two of them when Shion's eyes closed.

'My mind is completely blank,' Shion whispered. 'The only thing I can think of is that it's all over now and that Malfoy will not let such an occasion pass.'

'No, he won't,' Nezumi replied quietly. Ciel gritted his teeth. Really, what was there to say in a situation like that? Of course, it could be for the best because if everybody knew then they would maybe understand. This thought has crossed his mind countless times, but Shion didn't even want to hear about it.

'He figured that it was your mom's curse also,' Shion whispered and Ciel looked at him wide-eyed. Of course Malfoy would have figured that out. His father had probably used the House Curses as well! Ciel winced at the thought of the gossip that would circle the school now.

'I'm sorry,' Shion added and, with some horror, Ciel realised just why he wanted to keep the curse a secret. He didn't want Ciel and Nezumi to be reminded that their mother has been a Deatheater. He sighed.

'Sometimes you're so thick, Shion,' he whispered before he managed to stop himself. 'Do you really think we were worried about that?' he asked when the violet eyes looked at him in surprise. 'Alright, we were a bit, but this is the smallest problem of them all.'

'It has always been about you, Shion,' Nezumi agreed, probably having reached the same conclusions as Ciel. 'Mother made the mistake. Whether or not she really did it to protect us, we will probably never know, but it doesn't matter anymore. She is paying for that mistake and she alone should be the one to pay for it.'

'Somehow I don't see the noble Gryffindors seeing it that way,' Shion protested with a sniff, although he seemed to feel a bit better already. Has he really been worried that Ciel and Nezumi would be angry?

'It's their problem,' Ciel told him firmly. Nezumi nodded. Shion smiled a bit.

'You're really not mad?' he asked. Ciel rolled his eyes and told him that he will get mad if Shion would continue to worry about that. Nezumi added, with a sly smirk, that it took more than Malfoy's stupid gossip to make them mad at their little brother. In reply, Shion, looking thoroughly insulted, punched his arm, pointing out that they were the same age. More – he was older since he was born in September and Ciel and Nezumi were born in December. Needless to say that it only made Nezumi laugh.

Ciel shook his head with resignation.


	22. Ch 21: Detention

**Ch. 21: Detention**

Harry and Ron were as thrilled about the detention as she had expected them to be. In fact, they were possibly even happier than she had hoped, because they even forgot to ask her where she got the information from, which was good. In her glee to share Malfoy's misery, Hermione didn't think what she would tell them about the reason for the detention.

She knew, of course, that Malfoy would spread the gossip about Shion to the best of his abilities and she was sure that he would insinuate that it was Mrs Phantomhive's curse that did the damage. Hermione shuddered at the thought that it might have been true because, she didn't even want to imagine how it would make Ciel and Nezumi feel. It was bad enough when she found out that their mother has been a Deatheater.

Rachel Phantomhive's true allegiance has been discovered during the summer, in consequence of the "nationwide Auror investigation". Those were the official words that shocked the wizarding community. Mrs Phantomhive was hardly a typical criminal, after all, with her gentle smile and caring eyes. According to the short note in the Daily Prophet, the day after her trial, she admitted to all the charges, claiming that she had done it for her family who would otherwise be brutally pursued by Voldemort for refusing to serve him.

Hermione wanted to believe her. The "investigation" produced astounding results and Phantomhive's trial was drowned in similar news that appeared in the Daily Prophet daily for a better part of July. On the plus side, at least for Ciel, Nezumi and their father, that meant that many people barely noticed their sudden connection to Voldemort. Nearly one fourth of the pure-blood wizards was convicted and thrown into Azkaban for life, to make an example and a warning for the rest. Hermione wanted to think that not all those who carried the Dark Mark were evil.

Now, however, thanks to Malfoy's insinuations, the whole school would be forced to remember about Mrs Phantomhive and Hermione was sure that Malfoy would not portray her as a nice person in his stories. Still, she didn't want to be the one to add to the spreading of the gossip. She was grateful for her luck when managed to avoid telling Harry and Ron, although only because they immediately went on to the other sixth year Gryffindors, to tell them the good news.

Malfoy, on the other hand, didn't waste time. Hermione found that out already the day after the incident in the library, when she was having lunch, together with Harry and Ron. Ginny rushed up to them, eyes wide and panting from the run.

'You will never guess what I heard,' she exclaimed, getting the attention of not only Hermione, Harry and Ron, but also a bunch of other Gryffindors. She didn't seem to mind and, with a sinking feeling, Hermione realised what she was going to say.

'We will not, so just spill it,' Ron said when Ginny didn't continue immediately. His sister rolled her pretty eyes at him and looked at her audience, positively glowing with the importance of the news she carried. Hermione wished that she never had her conversation with Shion the day before.

'I heard the Slytherins whisper before the lesson today,' she started, ignoring somebody's biting comment about Slytherins. 'Apparently they have figured out what happened to Shion Allen,' she exclaimed and all eyes, except for Hermione's were on her. Hermione looked at her plate, feeling guilty. I have figured that out, she thought.

'Well what?' Dean Thomas asked when Ginny made another theatrical pause. She was obviously enjoying being the centre of attention.

'They called it the "entrance curse",' she said and it was obvious that she didn't know what it was, but the sixth-years gasped collectively. Hermione pursed her lips. 'But that's not all because you will never guess who cast it in the first place: Mrs Phantomhive.'

'No,' Lavender Brown exclaimed, her eyes so wide that Hermione thought they might jump out of her head any moment. Somebody murmured that they remembered her being found to be the follower of You-Know-Who. Somebody else wondered if this could have been true if Shion was friends with the Phantomhive twins. A wave of whispers rolled along the Gryffindor table.

'Hermione, what if they are Deatheaters?' Ron asked worriedly, looking at Hermione after a moment of listening to the theories that popped up like mushroom after the rain, all around them. She looked at him incredulously. 'The Phantomhive twins I mean,' he explained, probably mistaking her expression. 'You shouldn't hang out with them.'

'Do I need to remind you again how that stupid "investigation" looked like in the summer?' she asked rhetorically. Everybody knew that all the pure-blood wizards, even the Weasleys, who were outraged at the injustice of it all, were forced to go to the Ministry of Magic at their appointed time and date and, in the presence of the Minister, a judge, three witnesses and a bunch of Aurors, roll up their left sleeve. In case of doubt, the Aurors cast revealing charms and cancelling charms to ensure that there really was no tattoo. Should anybody be proven guilty of being a Deatheater, they were immediately seized and carted off to Azkaban, to await their trial.

Even Ginny had to live through that and she had told Hermione that it has really been quite an embarrassing procedure, especially when she knew that no one of her family was a Voldemort follower. She had said she had felt a little bit sorry for those who didn't have that kind of security in the face of the unforgiving Aurors. The idea of discovering that either of her parents were Deatheaters in this kind of circumstances sent chills down Hermione's spine. She felt honestly sorry for all the students who had to learn the truth like that.

'You can hardly call it a stupid investigation, Hermione,' Harry said quietly. 'It did reveal many Deatheaters that would otherwise remain hidden,' he pointed out and Hermione really couldn't argue. It had worked splendidly, it had surpassed all expectations. It terrified Hermione when she thought about the scale of Voldemort's popularity. However, at the shy questions about the allegiance of half-blood and Muggle born wizards, the Ministry insisted that Voldemort would never welcome those in his ranks.

'Yeah, but Ron should know that, after that "investigation", it's impossible that any of the students at Hogwarts are Deatheaters, so he could restrain himself from such idiotic comments,' she replied through gritted teeth. She noticed Harry kick Ron under the table, after which Ron apologised and said that he forgot about that little fact.

'I'd still keep away from them if I was you,' he added almost immediately after, destroying his own effort. Ginny hid her face in her hands. 'They could be sympathetic to You-Know-Who's cause, like Malfoy is.'

'And that's why they are best friends with Muggle born students?' Hermione asked coldly. 'I can't believe you are saying that,' she added, but Ron wasn't the only one who seemed to think like that. As she listened to the conversations that started around, she could hear that many students wondered about the sympathies of the Phantomhive twins and whether all the Slytherins were as evil as them.

Hermione looked to the Slytherin table, where the twins were sitting, having lunch together with Safu, Shion and Elizabeth. They were seemingly ignoring the glances, glares and whispers that surrounded them, chatting about something like they would on any normal day, although Hermione noticed that they didn't quite laugh as much as usual. She wondered again if it was true what Malfoy so quickly deduced the previous day and whether she would ever find the guts to ask.

'Hey, Hermione, you said that Malfoy was in detention this weekend,' Harry started suddenly, making her look back at him. 'You never said what for,' he pointed out.

'Malfoy's in detention this weekend?' Lavender, the biggest gossip of Gryffindor, who had dutifully carried on the story of Hermione's New Year's party a couple of months earlier, asked looking interested. Hermione grinned.

'Yup, he's going be shovelling dung for Hagrid the whole weekend,' she said, not caring that it wasn't exactly true. The ones who heard it, laughed, and the gossip travelled onwards along the table. Take that Malfoy, Hermione thought with grim satisfaction. It wasn't much, but it was the least she could do.

'You still never said why,' Harry insisted. With a sigh, Hermione looked at him and Ron and Ginny. She was on the verge of asking if they would keep the secret, but then decided against it and simply said that he attacked another student in the library and he got caught by Professor Kruspe. It seemed to be enough for them.

She ate the dinner at the Slytherin table, together with her "study group", in a wordless show of support for them. They made fun of her, as she sat down, for losing her resolve to not eat at this particular table again and she countered that it was not her fault for their bad choice of décor for a meal. Afterwards, the conversation resumed, with Lizzy telling them about some accident on the Herbology lesson the previous day, Safu butting in with comments every couple of words. They didn't make a single comment about the encounter with Malfoy or the gossip it resulted with and they didn't utter any thanks for her support, but she could see it in their faces and it was enough.

All in all, she discovered, it wasn't that hard to ignore the unfriendly whispers and covert glances. She kept that in mind for the next time that the school would turn against Harry.

In the evening, Harry and Ron got an idea to visit Hagrid during the weekend and make fun of Malfoy. As much as Hermione wanted to make the Slytherin miserable, she didn't think that Professor Kruspe would be impressed if she showed up there. After all, he knew that she knew about the detention and he would probably immediately assume that she came to gloat.

Rather than that, she wanted to warn the teacher about Hagrid's peculiar attitude towards dangerous creatures. However, Ron and Harry informed her that Hagrid has told them that he had talked a couple of times with Professor Kruspe, who seemed to be very interested in dragons. She was surprised that she had never heard about that, until Harry reminded her that she had spent a better part of December ignoring them.

Unhappy about being reminded of those days, Hermione still made a point of telling Harry and Ron that going to see this detention would have similar conclusion as their shower stunt: it would be a disaster. She said that she didn't think Professor Kruspe would be impressed by their attitude and they had really no ways of concealing their presence. They agreed grudgingly, complaining about the missing Invisibility Cloak.

'McGonagall said that I would be getting it when I graduate from Hogwarts,' Harry told her when she gathered the courage to ask. 'She said that Dumbledore made a grave mistake of simply giving it to me without explaining the moral limitations and such stuff,' he added with resignation.

'I still think that she had no right to take it,' Ron grumbled and Hermione decided, for the sake of having a nice evening, to not say anything. 'We cannot do anything without it. We cannot get anywhere close to Malfoy to figure out what he is plotting.'

'Yeah, about that,' Harry interjected and Hermione allowed herself a mental curse. 'Did you have time to ask the Phantomhives about Malfoy's plans? After these revelations from today I imagine that the Slytherins should all be pretty familiar with the House Curses,' he added and Hermione shivered.

'I wonder if the Slytherins forced Allen to keep it quiet, you know,' Ron suggested suddenly. 'Maybe that's why they hang out with him? To know that he doesn't tell anymore the truth,' he added.

'Ron, it's the Slytherins that leaked the information,' Harry pointed out.

'You guys,' Hermione whined. 'I've been hearing about that for the whole afternoon. Can we talk about anything else?' she asked. 'I haven't had time to ask the twins, I'll try to do that this weekend when we'll be studying,' she added.


	23. Ch 22: Scheming

**Ch. 22: Scheming**

Gossip spread around the school like wildfire. Within one or two days, literally every student has heard that Shion was the victim of an entrance curse cast by Mrs Phantomhive, which was, of course, true, even if Malfoy couldn't have known that for sure when he had started his vicious offensive. Building up on Malfoy's story, cruel gossip, about how the Phantomhive twins helped their mother or forced Shion to keep the curse a secret, spread around the school, helped eagerly by the likes of Weasley. Everywhere that Ciel went, voices hushed and heads turned to look at him. Whispers hissed in his wake.

Ciel wasn't a Gryffindor to get upset over that and complain or do something rash. He wasn't a Hufflepuff to go crying in a corner. He was a Slytherin and, above that, he was a Phantomhive so he went on as though nothing had happened. He walked the corridors of the castle with his head up, ignoring the hissing whispers and unfriendly glares. He knew that eventually everybody would get bored and move on when another event worthy of gossiping would happen. He knew also, that Nezumi, raised as a Phantomhive, was doing the same and he knew that Shion was trying his best to ignore the gossip as well.

It wasn't easy, although he would never admit it. Besides bringing everybody's attention back to Shion, Malfoy's story reminded the students that Ciel's and Nezumi's mother was a Deatheater, one of the most evil, most despised wizards in the contemporary history. The commotion brought the bad memories of seeing the hideous tattoo on mother's forearm as she slowly rolled up her sleeve in the clinically clean room in the Ministry of Magic. For a couple of days, every time he heard the story, he remembered the shock and the betrayal that he had felt when the Aurors had dragged Rachel Phantomhive, unresisting, out of the room, before casting just about every revealing charm they could on him, Nezumi and father.

Back in the summer, the arrest and trial had gone unnoticed for the majority of the wizarding community. Between all the other arrests and trials and in the face of the sheer scale of the "success" of the Auror "investigation", the quiet and unassuming Mrs Phantomhive has been quickly forgotten and Ciel and Nezumi have been spared the fate of some of the stigmatised Slytherin students. Some of them, like Malfoy, had of course worked on their opinion since the first year at school. Now, they were all pushed in the back of the students' minds because new scapegoats presented themselves: the evil twins who were pretending friendship and forcing a poor, Muggle born student to suffer, in order to keep their secret.

This, in fact, hurt the most. Ciel could easily ignore the biting comments about how he would have been a Deatheater, he could even ignore, although with some difficulty, people badmouthing his mother. She has been a Deatheater. There was no point denying it and he didn't. When he would turn seventeen and was finally allowed to visit her, he would ask her reasons for her actions, but until then, there was nothing he could do. However, to know that the students considered him to be somebody to harm the person that was like a brother to him, that they thought he had pretended friendship or discarded it for the sake of his twisted reasons. That hurt. He supposed that it must have been even more difficult for Nezumi, whose feelings for Shion went further than brotherly love. Not that anybody in the school was supposed to know that.

On the bright side, Malfoy's story generated much more understanding towards Shion, who had told them grudgingly that the guys in the dormitory actually apologised for thinking that he was a vampire. Ciel and Nezumi had laughed at the insane assumption, but Shion had only said that he would gladly have the situation as it has been before because he couldn't listen to the gossip. He couldn't stand Ciel and Nezumi being accused when they had been the ones to save his life. It was typical for him, really, but Ciel was still happier that way. Shion has had enough that school year.

By the time that the weekend of Malfoy's detention arrived, a couple of waves of gossip had circled the school. First was the story that Malfoy anonymously released the day after he found out the truth about Shion. Closely after, Hermione's "Malfoy shovelling dung" story followed and, in retaliation, Malfoy "accidentally" let some third-year Hufflepuffs overhear him saying how he suspected that Ciel and Nezumi had threatened Shion into silence about the curse.

Ciel ignored the amazed glances as he, together with his friends, crossed the main courtyard of the school. They had decided to profit from the beautiful weather and get away from the whispers about how Shion, Safu and Lizzy better run while they still can and free themselves from their toxic friendship. They had sent a message to Hermione, to tell her that they wouldn't be sitting in the library that Sunday, because it was a crime to waste the first day of warm weather.

'This is really becoming insane,' Safu complained when they were out of hearing range. She got a bit better after finding out that Shion hadn't locked her out of the Room of Requirement, but she wasn't quite back to her normal, happy self. Ciel felt a bit sorry for her because she was probably starting to realise that her longing was not reciprocated. 'I mean, I can understand that they are all shocked, but we have been friends since the first year and you three were friends even before. Did they forget that?'

'I think they're just bored,' Nezumi suggested in a light tone, although Ciel did notice that his shoulders relaxed minutely when they left the castle. 'I mean there's nothing else happening this year, is there?' he asked and suggested that he might try to kiss Hermione again. Ciel bit his lip to stop himself from smiling at the slightly hurt look that crossed Shion's face so fast that he might have imagined it. He almost missed the satisfaction that flickered in Nezumi's grey eyes.

'I don't think it's going to work with your new, evil persona,' he commented neutrally. 'But you might try to convince Weasley to try and kiss her in the Great Hall. It should be fun,' he added with a laugh.

'Ciel,' Lizzy protested. 'Be nicer to the poor guy. Imagine that you had to try and attract a girl that could do so much better than you,' she added with a wicked smile. It was a sign of changing attitudes that Safu didn't giggle at her comment and for a moment Lizzy looked like she regretted picking up the topic.

'Who's not being nice?' Ciel asked her, knowing that it was better to pretend that nothing was wrong. 'Besides, I don't see myself having that kind of problem', he added smugly, ignoring Nezumi's comment that it was only because he already had a girl chosen.

They reached the border of the lake and, with a flick of her wand, Elizabeth dried a path of ground so that they could sit down, after casting a warming charm on their cloaks. They settled on the ground, forming a small circle, knowing that nobody would come close to them and disturb them. Nobody came close to them if they could help it, however, Ciel wasn't surprised when Hermione joined them some moments later. To express her thoughts on the gossip, the Gryffindor made it a point to spend some time with them nearly every day. Usually it meant she met them for a meal or two, since that was what they mostly did all together during the week.

Ciel appreciated the voice of confidence, even if he wasn't surprised to get it, and he knew that so did Nezumi, even if his brother wouldn't admit it out loud. He knew also that Shion was very relieved that Hermione's attitude didn't change and the girls were very happy, because they managed to grow quite close to Hermione over this year.

'So your friends are standing there to make sure that we don't hurt you, or are they waiting for whatever it is that you promised to tell them?' he asked, nodding towards where Potter and Weasley were failing to look inconspicuous, some twenty steps away. Hermione sighed.

'I promised I'm going to ask you a question about Malfoy,' she admitted without much enthusiasm. Ciel wondered why it was always about Malfoy with Potter. It was always about Potter with Malfoy as well and Ciel was wondering what would happen if somebody locked the two of them in a dark room, without wands. Maybe they could try to do that to Malfoy to pay him back for whatever revenge he would cook up?

'Are you going to ask it?' Shion asked when Hermione didn't seem willing to continue. He rolled his eyes when she pointed out it was a question for the twins.

'They heard Malfoy talk about schemes to somebody and they wanted to investigate,' she said finally. 'I didn't want them to do anything stupid, so I promised to ask you,' she added to explain why she was asking. Ciel exchanged a quick look with Nezumi, who snorted.

'The only schemes Malfoy has been discussing this year are investment schemes for his father's Muggle money,' Ciel said with a smirk. Hermione blinked. 'I don't want to be disrespectful, but I don't think that Weasley should be interested in those kinds of things,' he added, noticing the evil smirks on Nezumi's and, surprisingly, Shion's faces.

'Investment schemes for his father's Muggle money,' Hermione repeated slowly, either not quite believing what she has heard or trying to memorise it. 'Malfoy has Muggle money?' she asked.

'Of course,' Ciel replied, surprised that this was her doubt about the situation. 'Where do you think he is getting profits from? There's no stock market in the wizarding world and there's hardly any companies in which one can invest. You don't quite think that Lucius Malfoy's meagre earnings from sitting in the directors' boards were enough to cover their extravagant living and pay for all the houses they have, do you?'

'They have more than one house?' she asked, looking more and more surprised.

'Of course,' Ciel repeated. 'I don't know the details, but they have at least a mansion somewhere on Côte d'Azur besides their manor in London's suburbs. They like to show off, so I would assume they have a winter cottage somewhere, maybe near Chamonix, because it's so fancy, and possibly another hidden retreat, where they can go if they want to get away,' he explained.

'I never thought about that,' Hermione admitted. Ciel chose to not say that it was obvious if the only pure-blood families that she associated with were the Weasleys and the Longbottoms. There was no point in annoying her. 'It seems reasonable now that you say it,' she added with a sigh.

'You should visit us this summer, in Nezumi's and Ciel's place up by the fjords,' Elizabeth interjected with a grin, laughing when Nezumi protested that she was not supposed to invite people to places that did not belong to her. Hermione's eyes widened.

'Yeah, Nezumi even has a fake driving licence, so we can go sightseeing or spend some time in Oslo if we miss civilisation,' Shion added enthusiastically. 'Since we're not allowed to Appearate and we cannot use magic outside the cottage,' he explained, probably misreading Hermione's surprised gaze.

'You can drive a car?' she asked, turning to Nezumi.

'Remarkably well,' he replied with a smug smile and repeated Elizabeth's invitation, adding that they always went there for some time during the summer because it was peaceful and beautiful. The house was standing by a lake, with no neighbours in sight, only a field of grass, forest on the other side of the road, the lake and a rock wall standing tall on the other side of the lake. Ciel was looking forward to be there this summer. Hermione laughed.

'And here I was getting worried that Malfoy might actually be scheming to do something horrible,' she said, sounding relieved. 'Either that those schemes are this revenge that he mentioned the other day or that he was going to-' she stopped herself, blushing slightly.

'Cast the House Curses around Hogwarts?' Ciel suggested, content to see that he managed to shock her. 'I don't think that he is able to do that. We read up on them a lot during last summer and they seem to be awfully complicated,' he added, keeping his tone light and pretending to not notice Shion biting his lip and looking down. He knew that it was okay to say the name out loud and now that the truth was out it was stupid to pretend that the thing didn't exist.

'How did you guess?' Hermione asked. Ciel shrugged and told her that there were not many things she would consider inappropriate to mention. In the light of currently most popular topic, it was easy to figure out what Potter and Weasley might come up with. 'So you're sure that it's investment schemes,' she concluded, probably trying to close the subject of House Curses.

'Yup, he's not going to discuss whatever he plans for me with anybody,' Ciel replied, keeping his tone light. No need to let Hermione know that he was, in fact, worried about that. 'He wouldn't risk not noticing Cravat, Hamlet or Tsukiyo and betraying his plans,' he added.


	24. Ch 23: Gossip

**Ch. 23: Gossip**

Eventually, Hermione gave up and went back to Ron and Harry, who were hovering close by the whole time, outright staring at the group when they were laughing. She excused them for being silly and left, sticking her tongue out at Nezumi, for his biting comment about bodyguards.

'You could have gone back to the castle,' she said when she was close enough to Harry and Ron to be able to not shout and far enough from the others, so that they wouldn't hear her words. 'Or at least you could have gone for a walk or something, rather than standing here like that,' she added, stopping next to Ron and Harry.

'We cannot leave you alone, Mione,' Ron protested. 'It's one thing when you're sitting with them in the Great Hall and we keep an eye on you anyway, but here there's nobody to save you in case something bad happens,' he explained. Hermione really wanted to find his worry cute, she really did. It was nice that her friends were always looking after her and she could trust them with her life. She repeated that to herself and said nothing about how it was obvious the twins would not hurt her.

'Did you ask?' Harry asked, changing the topic. She wondered if he noticed her unspoken annoyance. 'You wouldn't leave if you didn't get the answer, would you?' he added. They have been very disappointed when Hermione got a message that her study group wouldn't be meeting that weekend and they insisted that Hermione goes to talk with them anyway. She didn't mind, because she liked talking with them, but she didn't think that Harry and Ron would stay lurking, waiting for her to be done. She didn't want to think what the others thought about her now.

'Yeah, Ciel said that Malfoy is talking about investment schemes for his father's Muggle money,' she said, repeating the exact phrase. Harry and Ron blinked at her in surprise and disappointment, before Ron's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

'Why would Malfoy have Muggle money? He hates Muggles,' he pointed out and Hermione repeated Ciel's explanation, together with Ciel's suspicions about the houses the Malfoy family had. 'What if they are in on the scheme and they lied to you?' Ron asked.

'I don't think they're exactly friendly with Malfoy,' she replied carefully, not wanting to say anything that her friends might not know. In front of the rest of the school, the Slytherins kept an illusion of being united but, spending some time at the Slytherin table, Hermione realised that they were just as divided as any other House.

'I could easily imagine them being best buddies, with their mom working together with the old Malfoy,' Harry grumbled. 'I forgot all about that, you know? How can they even look their Muggle born friends in the eyes if their mother was on the side of Voldemort and was killing Muggle born wizards?'

'That is if they don't stick around just to keep the secret from popping out,' Ron added. 'Do you think we can trust their explanation?'

'Of course I think you can,' Hermione exclaimed. 'Look, I know you don't like them, but they are really nice and I am sure that they mean no harm to Shion, Safu and Lizzy. If they did then I don't think those three are masochistic enough to allow it and I cannot imagine any scenario in which they are forced to. They are not even in the same House, so avoiding Ciel and Nezumi shouldn't be difficult.'

She could see Harry and Ron thinking, trying to come up with arguments. What else was there that she could say to- A sudden thought made her eyes widen in realisation. Why hasn't she thought about it before? How stupid she was to oversee that detail!

'Are you alright, Hermione?' Harry asked worriedly and she focused back on her best friends, smiling and leading them back towards the castle.

'I just had that thought,' she said, almost cheerful. 'You remember how I went to read about the House Curses after the lecture from Professor Kruspe?' she asked, satisfied when they both nodded. 'Well I managed to find out that all entrance curses were either lethal or resulting in serious brain damage.'

'That's nothing to be happy about Hermione,' Harry pointed out cautiously, looking like he was starting to get seriously worried about her mental state. She laughed shortly and continued.

'But that means that the curse Shion suffered from must have been one of the deadly ones, right? The lethal entrance curses, once triggered, take a while to reach their full potential, I read, which means that he hasn't been alone, because somebody must have saved him. I am willing to bet whatever you want that it was Ciel and Nezumi who saved him,' she explained, feeling triumphal. They looked at her, surprised but not protesting. She grinned, already wondering how to spread that information around the castle.

'Or he's good at hiding his damaged brain,' Ron pointed out.

'Don't be silly, Ron,' she scolded, too happy to be seriously upset. 'I'm talking serious brain damage, a bit like some of the Muggle, genetic diseases, or severe memory loss combined with psychosis, depending on the curse. He wouldn't be allowed back in Hogwarts,' she explained.

'Do you think that Kruspe gave us that lecture so that somebody would find out?' Harry asked suddenly. 'Like Snape did with werewolves?' he added. It was a worrying thought, Hermione decided, unsure. 'I mean, he didn't give us tons of homework about it, so maybe it's not exactly the same, but he could have skipped the lesson completely.'

'Do you think he knows?' Ron asked, sounding surprised. Harry shrugged.

'I don't see the teachers accepting a change like that in somebody's appearance, without getting any explanation for that,' he pointed out.

'I don't think that teachers should skip lessons like they want,' Hermione decided. 'Even in this case, imagine that some of us go exploring one day and die as a result of an entrance curse. He cannot take a chance that we never will.'

'It's not like we're going to remember this by next year, if we don't need it for the exams,' Ron pointed out, making Harry laugh. Hermione rolled her eyes and said that it was nothing to be proud of. 'Come on, Hermione, not everybody loves books so much that they spend their free time researching magic they will never need or encounter,' Ron added and she had to agree, even though she didn't like it. As they came closer to the castle, there were more students, sitting outside and enjoying the nice weather.

'Yeah,' Harry agreed as they entered the courtyard. 'Or did you have ulterior motives for researching those curses?' he asked and Hermione did her best to look surprised at the insinuation. She knew that Ciel wouldn't buy it for a second, but Harry was more trusting.

'I don't know what you're talking about,' she said. Ron echoed her words.

'Well, I'm just saying that you've spent an awful time in the library even before and you connected all the facts about the House Curses and Allen so easily just now, so I guess you gave it some thought before,' Harry said, keeping his tone neutral, but making it obvious as to what he was insinuating. Hermione had the grace to blush. 'When did you figure that out?'

'Just after that lecture,' she admitted sheepishly and blushed even more when Harry suggested that the Slytherins didn't figure out the curse on their own. 'Nope, Malfoy overheard me talking about it,' she confessed. 'I suppose he started the gossip as well,' she added.

'I figured there was more to the story with how guilty you looked the other day when Ginny brought the news. It was also weird that the Slytherins would spread gossip like that about their own,' he added. Hermione smiled sadly, remembering that Harry could be quite smart when he wanted to. Ron looked like he was going to complain, but Harry continued before his best friend could say anything. 'A weekend free of Malfoy,' he noted with a grin. 'I could get used to that, so maybe we should try to trick him into attacking more students,' he joked. 'We can make a list so that people don't get too hurt.'

'Harry,' Hermione groaned, unable to hide a smile.

})i({

The following wave of gossip was unexpected. Ciel was sure that the evil whispers would follow him and Nezumi for a couple more weeks, before the students would get bored or disappointed at the lack of reaction from their side. However, just a week after Malfoy's detention, Shion and Safu arrived to the library slightly late and looking thoroughly puzzled.

'Something happened?' Elizabeth asked immediately, while Ciel and Nezumi just looked surprised. 'It's not like you two to be late, even this little late,' she added. Ciel hoped it didn't mean that trouble were back in the Ravenclaw tower, when it has already looked like the dorm mates of Shion would get over the differences and treat him normally. Well, as normally as they could when Shion was still hiding, not wanting anybody to know that the scar on his neck was just a tiny fraction of the scar.

'I suppose you could say that,' Safu replied slowly, sitting down next to Elizabeth and glancing at Shion, obviously wanting him to be the one to do the talking. The white-haired boy sighed.

'Michael Corner came up to us when we were leaving, wanting to confirm the gossip he has heard during lunch on Friday,' he said. Ciel winced, expecting what the gossip was about, while Nezumi already started saying where Corner can put the gossip, but Shion continued, raising his voice just a little to shut Nezumi up. 'He heard from Luna that it was you two guys who saved me from the full extent of the entrance curse and he wanted to know if that was true,' he said calmly, creating a moment of stunned silence.

Shion had suggested that they say that to the students, when this mess started, but Ciel and Nezumi told him that nobody would believe him. If people were willing to think that the twins were faking friendship to keep an eye on Shion and stop him from spilling their dark secret, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that they forced him to say that they had saved him.

'Where-' Ciel started, but the arrival of Hermione made him stop and look at the Gryffindor girl with wonder. Her appearance at that particular moment must have been a pure coincidence, but it couldn't have been more obvious a clue.

'Hi guys, sorry I'm late,' she said cheerfully, sitting down between Safu and Shion, on the only empty chair, oblivious to their shock until Nezumi laughed. She looked at them, taking in the wide-eyed expressions of Shion and Elizabeth and the impressed gleam in Safu's eyes, before turning to Nezumi and Ciel, her eyes asking the question her lips didn't utter.

'Hi,' Nezumi said with a knowing smirk. Hermione seemed even more surprised for a moment, but then her expression smoothed into a bright smile as she said that it was a shame it started raining again just before the weekend. So she was not going to say anything about that gossip, was she?

'We heard that you have been spreading gossip about us,' Ciel said, opening the book on the page of the homework topic they wanted to work on. He had no doubt that it has been Hermione that figured out the remaining facts about Shion's condition and connected them to the fact that the pigment depletion was only a side effect in some of the lethal curses.

'Yeah, about that,' Nezumi added, pretending to sound unhappy. 'What are you doing, destroying my image of an evil Slytherin? Do you think I want to be seen as some sort of soft marshmallow?' he asked. Ciel could hear Lizzy and Safu snort and he could just imagine the glare Nezumi sent them, especially when Lizzy said that everybody already knew that Nezumi was a marshmallow on the inside.

He looked up to see Hermione torn between laughing out and trying to come up with a witty reply, biting her lip to not follow Safu into a fit of giggles. Nezumi looked thoroughly indignant, but Ciel knew that it was an act. It was a good act though, and only melted when Shion turned his eyes to Hermione and spoke.

'Thank you,' he said simply. Ciel wondered if Hermione could read the expression in his eyes, if she could see just how grateful Shion really was, because she did something that he hadn't been able to do. He hoped she did. Nezumi smiled slightly.

'Now before this becomes a teary scene worthy of "Titanic",' Ciel commented drily, getting their attention. 'Yes, Safu made us all watch that horrifying film,' he added for Hermione's benefit, ignoring Lizzy's comment that it wasn't horrifying. 'You should really revise your idea of pure-bloods. Not all of us are as ignorant as Weasley, while saying how much we appreciate Muggle born wizards. I dare say that even Malfoy knows more, with all the stock market involvement and stuff.'

'Admittedly, we might be the only ones who had to suffer through "Titanic" in order to please our personal cinematic advisor,' Nezumi added, also in a dry tone. Safu made a face at them, before reminding them that they promised to never complain about it again if she didn't make them watch "Notting Hill".

'You would have to tie us to the chairs,' Ciel informed her. 'Lizzy told me enough about that film to make my ears bleed. I don't want to become blind,' he added, making Hermione laugh, saying that he was being mean. 'In criticism I will be bold, and as sternly, absolutely just with friend and foe. From this purpose nothing shall turn me,' Ciel answered dully.

'Was that a quote?' Hermione asked. 'It sure sounded like one, but I thought that it was Nezumi who was spitting quotes at every occasion.'

'Edgar Allan Poe is the only exception,' Shion said lightly. 'Ciel used to like him a lot when he was eleven and it kind of stuck,' he added. 'He doesn't quite have the theatrical talents of Nezumi though, so it's not as impressive.'

Ciel wanted to retort that just because he was falling in love with Nezumi didn't mean that he could talk bad about him, but he stopped himself on time. In any case, he wasn't sure that Shion was aware that he was slowly but surely falling for a boy he had called "brother" for the most of his life. Not to mention that he didn't want to face Nezumi's anger afterwards.

'Besides, you know, brothers like to compete,' Lizzy added lightly, grinning at him when he looked at her, disappointed at her "treachery". 'But I think, just a moment ago, Ciel was trying to say that we should start working on that homework,' she added with the same tone, opening her book.


	25. Ch 24: The waiting game

**Ch. 24: The waiting game**

Hermione's story spread around the school slowly but surely. As the spring took over outside the castle, the atmosphere warmed inside. The fact that Ciel and Nezumi apparently had to have saved Shion from inevitable death worked miracles for the attitudes of the students, who were as quick to condemn as they were to forgive. The students were not quite ready to forgive Mrs Phantomhive for being a Deatheater, but they stopped insinuating that Ciel or Nezumi would have followed her tracks, had Voldemort not been stopped.

Not everybody believed Hermione's story of course, but most of the hissing whispers stopped and the hostile glares ceased almost completely before the middle of April, much to Malfoy's visible and audible disappointment. Or at least, much to his visible displeasure, when he was safely tucked away in the common room and the students from other Houses couldn't see that all those crazy stories were his job. Not only he had to suffer through the detention, the details of which have somehow leaked to the students, but also the information he got didn't cause quite as much damage as he had wished.

Ciel quietly enjoyed watching, from the corner of his eye to not be obvious, Malfoy's hissing fits at how the mudblood Granger would always destroy everything and how she deserved to burn in hell for eternity. He mentally laughed at the hateful glares that Malfoy sent towards Hermione every time he saw her. Malfoy deserved to be annoyed.

Malfoy and his proclaimed will to avenge his public humiliation was Ciel's only remaining problem. With each passing day, he was growing more and more worried and he almost hoped that Malfoy would make his move soon, or he would end up as paranoid as Mad-Eyed Moody and that Ciel did not want. It even crossed his mind that it might have been Malfoy's idea from the beginning, but he discarded it as too subtle. Malfoy would aim for something more publicly humiliating, something that would follow Ciel like the floating pumpkins and the nickname of ferret-face still followed him.

Spying on Malfoy, in order to gain information about his plans, with the help of Hamlet, Cravat and Tsukiyo didn't bring any results, other than scaring the blond a couple of times, when Sebastian showed up in his vicinity, hissing. As amusing as it was, it didn't help and, worse, it alerted Malfoy to being observed.

Ciel had spent a lot of time, together with Nezumi, discussing the possibilities and the ways of protecting himself. The most obvious answer would be to keep a number of protective spells up all the time. However, keeping up protective curses about his person non-stop would be extremely tiring and Ciel knew that he would only be able to do it for a couple of days before he would need a break and once he started, taking a break would not be an option.

Consequently, he had to keep a watchful eye on Malfoy, whenever the blond Slytherin was around, and hope that he would be fast enough to react. This constant vigilance was tiring as well and it reminded him of Auror Moody who had so gladly returned from his retirement to assist in the "investigation" and the subsequent trials. It made him shudder to remember the semi-insane wizard. However, keeping his guard up was much less tiring than keeping up protective curses and he had been doing it from the first year around Malfoy, albeit to a smaller degree.

Together with Nezumi, they reached the conclusion that Malfoy would not risk anything too similar to Ciel's little trouser-vanishing stunt, because it would be too easy to link the two together. If Ciel found himself naked or semi-naked in front of the students, he would be able to argue that Malfoy was unjustly suspecting Ciel of being the one who attacked him and trying to get back. While it would be nearly impossible to prove Ciel's guilt, proving Malfoy's would be quite easy, if Ciel acted fast enough, and Malfoy would end up it trouble.

A simple beating seemed too crude, but then again, Malfoy liked crude, as opposed to his truly devilish father. However, if Malfoy hoped to beat Ciel up, then he would have to find him alone and there were not many instances when Ciel and Nezumi weren't together, since they slept in the same room, ate in the same room, went to the same classes and had the same group of friends. The only possibility was thus when Nezumi was in the choir rehearsals, on Thursday evenings.

Nezumi suggested that Ciel goes with him, but he vetoed that idea, saying that he was not going to act like he was scared of Malfoy. He'd much rather face a beating than the taunts that Malfoy would throw at him when he got the wind of that.

They went back and forth in their arguments and arrived nowhere. The only thing Ciel could do was to wait for Malfoy's move and hope to be fast enough to avoid it. Father insisted that both his sons have appropriate education in self-defence, both magical and physical. He even extended that training to Shion as well, knowing that his sons treated him like their brother. Ciel was pretty confident in his self-defence skills, especially the magical ones, although he knew also his limits.

He really hoped that Malfoy didn't plan to beat him up.

However, April gave way to May and nothing happened. The stress of looking over his shoulder was starting to affect his concentration and it frustrated him further. Nezumi saw that, of course, but they never discussed it, not wanting to be overheard by anybody.

One afternoon, he was putting the books back onto their shelves in the library. They have been studying a bit extra for the mock exams that would arrive soon, so they stayed in the library every evening now. He was about to go back to the table, when he heard Hermione's voice on the other side of the bookshelf.

'Say, Shion,' she spoke up in the relative silence of the library. 'Do you know what's up with Ciel? He looks awfully stressed these days.' Hidden behind the bookshelf, Ciel bit his lip. If she could see it then surely so could Malfoy. He heard Shion sigh.

'He's waiting for Malfoy's revenge,' the Ravenclaw said so quietly that Ciel barely heard him. Trust Shion to be brutally honest, he thought with a mental sigh. Trust Shion to know more than he lets on, he amended, shaking his head. They avoided mentioning the matter in front of him because they knew that he would feel guilty. After all, it was on his behalf that Ciel had attacked Malfoy and escalated the conflict from barely hidden enmity to revenge.

'This is stupid,' Hermione said. 'I don't know how Malfoy can be so stubborn about his ideas and not see the truth,' she added. Ciel hoped that Shion would be able to keep a straight face at those words. The Ravenclaw was the only one to know the truth, except for Nezumi and Ciel himself. They had never even told the girls, although both Safu and Lizzy had been suspecting who was behind Malfoy's vanishing trousers. Ciel wanted to keep the number of people who knew to minimum for obvious reasons.

'Yeah, well, from my limited experience with Malfoy, he doesn't strike me as the most reasonable person in the school,' Shion replied drily and Ciel smiled slightly. I owe you one, he thought. 'I just wish he did it so that it was done and over with and we could ignore him like we did before,' Shion added. Exhaling slowly and closing his eyes, Ciel leaned his forehead against the books. How he wished that Malfoy made his move already and this would be over!

He nearly jumped out of his skin, spinning around with a wand drawn, when a hand touched his shoulder gently. His eyes met a grey gaze, where amusement was fighting with worry, as his brother raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed with relief.

'Don't do that to me,' he whispered, lowering his wand and tucking it away, trying to calm his racing heart. 'Unless you want me to get a heart attack,' he added. Nezumi smirked, although Ciel could see that he still looked worried.

'I have no desire to become the heir of Phantomhive,' he said lightly. 'In fact, in order to not have to do that, I will actively work to make sure that you don't die prematurely,' he added with a quiet laugh, ignoring the glare that Ciel shot his way. 'You know that I was not born to do those kinds of things: being the master of the manor and marrying for politics.'

'But you were raised to do that since you turned four,' Ciel growled at him. Even though it was obvious that Ciel would inherit the duties of Vincent Phantomhive, father never made any difference between them. 'So don't give me that stupid talk,' he added, still angry although he wasn't sure why. He took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly.

'Let's go back to the others,' Nezumi said and Ciel nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. 'Otherwise they will send a search party, worried that we are lost,' he added, wrapping an arm around Ciel's shoulders and steering him towards the table, where Shion, Safu, Lizzy and Hermione were already waiting for them, looking slightly worried.

'Did you guys get lost?' Lizzy asked, covering her worry with a brilliant smile. Ciel fought to smile back at her, while Nezumi answered.

'Kind of,' he said in a light tone that didn't fool Ciel. If his brother was starting to get worried about him, then Ciel needed to get a grip on himself. The worried glances that the others exchanged irritated him suddenly and he shrugged Nezumi's arm off his shoulders roughly, taking his bag and leaving the library without a word.

I am not some sort of glass figurine that would break, he thought angrily, marching towards the dormitory. At least Nezumi had enough brains to not follow him and to stop the others, he thought with grim satisfaction when nobody caught up with him. Or maybe the others were smart enough to know themselves, it didn't matter. Ciel didn't feel like talking with them anyway.

Ignoring the fact that it was dinnertime, he went straight to the dormitory and closed the curtains around his bed, casting the protective spells as every evening. None of the Slytherin students slept without at least some spells to warn off possible intruders. He was too angry to sleep, but he didn't want to be disturbed and, if Nezumi thought that he was sleeping, he wouldn't try to make sure that everything was fine.

He sighed as he laid back on the soft bed, his anger evaporating slowly. Putting on the show of carelessness was getting more and more difficult and he suddenly understood what Shion might have felt earlier that year. Ciel, however, had some control over the situation. He should probably ignore Malfoy and try to forget about all the mess because Malfoy was obviously too much of a coward to do anything anyway. If he was planning to make a move, he would have made it already.

})i({

That night, Ciel had slept surprisingly well. He woke up feeling more refreshed than he thought he could have been under the circumstances. As he removed all the protective spells from his bed and got up, the other sixth-year Slytherins also woke up and went about their morning routines. Ciel smiled slightly at his adopted brother and nodded in answer to the unspoken question.

I'm fine.

They were ready to leave the room when Malfoy opened the curtains of his bed, getting out with a murderous scowl. Ciel glanced at him and, as his eyes met the pale grey of Malfoy's, he knew. The waiting game was over. He allowed a mocking smirk to twist his lips and he left the dormitory, feeling surprisingly light-hearted.

'I would have thought you would be in a fouler mood today,' Nezumi commented lightly as they went downstairs to the common room. Ciel glanced at him, wondering if he has seen the same resolve in Malfoy's eyes as he has. If the tenseness of his shoulders was anything to go by, then he probably has, he decided.

'I feel rather relieved,' he admitted truthfully. There was nobody around them to hear, so he didn't need to bother with sarcastic come-backs and keeping up appearances. 'Though I've decided, yesterday, that I will ignore Malfoy because he will surely not make his move anymore,' he added when they reached the common room. He waved a good morning to the couple of students who were sitting there as they crossed the room without stopping.

'I see,' Nezumi muttered. 'And he chose Thursday also,' he commented without enthusiasm, because Thursday was the only day when Malfoy could be sure to surprise Ciel on his own, while Nezumi was stuck in the choir rehearsals. 'And you are going to walk into the trap?'

'I will not walk into the trap, I will walk through it, crushing Malfoy in the process,' Ciel corrected in a low voice. He almost expected Malfoy to act unpredictably and make his move earlier, but if he only needed to keep his guard up that day, then he could do it without a problem.

'As could be expected,' Nezumi muttered. Ciel glared at him, wondering if his brother was making fun of him or disapproving of his idea. He couldn't quite decipher the look that Nezumi gave him. 'However it goes, I expect you to be able to crawl your way to the Hospital Wing,' he added, looking away.

'I don't expect that it will go that far. Malfoy is a coward after all,' he replied with a little bit more confidence than he felt. 'And don't you dare putting Shion on my case,' he added, narrowing his eyes at Nezumi. 'If I have to wait for Malfoy one more day, I will go crazy and you will be the first one to notice,' he threatened. Nezumi laughed and promised that he wouldn't mention anything to Shion, nor to the girls.

The whole day passed in tense waiting. Malfoy's gaze in the morning promised violence, so he expected that the blond will surprise him after dinner, when Nezumi would be away, however, it would be foolish to not expect surprises. For the whole day he half expected that something funny would happen with his clothes, or that a spell would blast him into the furthest wall. He was almost relieved when the evening arrived.

They lingered at the table, even after Nezumi left, chatting idly. However, as Lizzy and Safu started discussing guys, Ciel looked around and noticed that Malfoy was already gone. He allowed himself a mental curse for letting Malfoy slip out of the Great Hall first, because that meant that, if Malfoy hadn't chicken out, Ciel would truly be walking into a trap.

Nevertheless, he got up, saying that he was tired and wanted to sleep. He brushed off the offer to stay in the Room with the others and made his way back to the dormitory, making an effort to keep to his usual track, rather than trying to get away.

He was walking down a deserted corridor in the dungeons, when he heard a noise behind him. Without hesitation, he whirled around, wand drawn, and cast the disarming spell on Malfoy, who was behind him. Malfoy's wand went flying out of his hand. However, before Ciel realised that the blond was smirking, his both arms were grabbed and his own wand was twisted out of his grasp.

Unhurriedly, Malfoy picked his own wand up and kicked Ciel's further away, as he walked up. The winning smirk on his face was unmistakeable. Even as he cursed mentally, Ciel allowed himself to smirk as well, because Malfoy was far from winning yet.

'So you're just going to beat me up?' he asked mockingly, pretending to try and get free to see how tight he was being held. 'I was hoping for something more creative from you,' he added in the same tone and gasped when Malfoy punched him in the stomach with an angry snarl. Crabbe and Goyle were holding him tight, he noted, breathing shallowly, waiting for the pain to subside. Calling the smirk back onto his face, he looked up at Malfoy again.

'Damn right I'm going to beat you up,' the blond hissed. 'And then I'll leave you in the Great Hall, to be found by the students tomorrow,' he promised with another blow to the stomach that would have made Ciel double up in pain if he wasn't being held so tight.

'That does assume that I will stay unconscious for the whole night, you know. Are you sure you can manage that?' he asked, keeping his tone mocking, even as the edge of pain crept into it. He gasped at the third punch, this time to his face. He could feel his nose bleed after a couple of seconds.

'Empty talk, Phantomhive,' Malfoy hissed, sounding angrier than before. 'It might have worked for Allen, but there are no teachers to help you here and let me tell you,' he paused and leaned in to whisper viciously. 'I'll take great pleasure in-' he finished with a shout of pain, because Ciel didn't wait to hear what Malfoy had to say. With his whole strength, he pushed his knee into Malfoy's groin, making the blond double up. He didn't wait for him to regain his composure either. Using the two goons as support, he pushed Malfoy away with both feet, sending him crashing against the wall.

As the blond stumbled away, Ciel focused all his hate on the two boys holding him and wished their clothes on fire. It took a moment, but, as Malfoy came back, glaring murderously, Ciel smelled smoke and, a couple of seconds later, Crabbe and Goyle screamed and let go of him.

Taking advantage of Malfoy's surprise at the sudden turn of events, he called his wand to him and cast a protective spell over himself. Crabbe and Goyle ran away, screaming.

'Now, Malfoy,' he sneered the name. 'Don't you think that's more gentlemanly to duel rather than hit somebody who cannot fight back?' he asked mockingly, watching how Malfoy cast a protective spell over himself as well.

'What is gentlemanly about throwing a curse at somebody's back?' he asked, obviously referring to the incident with the trousers.

'I don't know what you are talking about, Malfoy,' he lied smoothly, not missing the flicker of doubt in Malfoy's eyes, before they hardened into a glare. They cast the spells in the same moment and the corridor exploded in the mix of violet and red sparkles, when the two spells collided. Ciel didn't wait for the firework show to finish, before casting the next spell, which sent Malfoy crashing against the wall with a dull thud.

When his opponent didn't move, Ciel cast a new protective spell on himself and went up to the boy. With a smirk, he made a couple of words appear on the wall, above Malfoy's unmoving form, paraphrasing the expression from the Malfoy crest. Afterwards, he turned around and went to the dormitory.


	26. Ch 25: Consequences

**Ch. 25: Consequences**

Reaching the entrance to the common room, Ciel hesitated. If he went in like that, dishevelled and with blood on his face, he would immediately have to explain what had happened to the other students. If he healed his injuries, he would have no proof of being attacked, while Malfoy would be found unconscious in the corridor.

He had to assume that Crabbe and Goyle went to get Snape and would bring the professor to the place where they fought. If they had enough brains, they would say it was Ciel's fault, although he hoped they would rather give Snape the true story. It would be convenient, but in either case, Snape would want to talk with him.

With a sigh, he sat down against the wall opposite to the entrance. How bothersome, he thought, wondering how long it would take Snape to go looking. The head of House had a private entrance to the common room, so it was fairly probable that he would not find Ciel by accident. Then again, if he was out to take care of Malfoy, then maybe he would use the regular entrance.

He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his forehead against his knees, waiting, wondering what he would say. Thankfully, he didn't need to wait long. Soon, rushed footsteps echoed in the silence and Ciel recognised them immediately, even if they were mixed with two sets of other footsteps.

'Phantomhive,' Snape called out angrily. Ciel looked up at him, not bothering to brush away the hair that covered his right eye almost entirely. Snape recoiled, probably at the sight of blood on his face. Ciel got up slowly, wincing as the movement pulled on his bruised abdomen. He would have some nasty bruises there, but probably so would Malfoy.

'Professor,' he replied once he was fully up, deciding that the wince that escaped him before he could control it was in fact good. Snape has always been on Malfoy's side, however, in this case it was Slytherin against Slytherin and Ciel was curious to see the outcome.

'Care to tell me what happened tonight?' Snape asked coldly. Ciel winced again at his tone and straightened up, lifting his chin.

'Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle attacked me, professor,' he said in an equally cold tone, looking his teacher in the eye. He saw the two goons lurking behind the professor uncertainly, but he didn't pay them any attention.

'Surprisingly, it's the same I've heard already,' Snape sneered and Ciel fought a triumphal smile. So Crabbe and Goyle forgot to lie. 'But where is Malfoy?' he asked and Ciel's eyes widened in surprise. Then he winced, realising that he would have to lead Snape back and face the explosion that was bound to happen.

'Probably where I left him,' he replied without enthusiasm and made a couple of uncertain steps, nodding when Snape asked him if he could walk. 'Although I'd rather not be the first person he sees,' he added. He didn't want Snape to know that he was perfectly capable of protecting himself and he certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of Malfoy's curse, should the blond be up.

'I am sure that Mr Malfoy will be reasonable,' Snape replied in a clipped tone.

'Mr Malfoy has been anything but reasonable for a while now,' Ciel shot back bitterly, leading his professor to the place where Malfoy was groaning slightly, obviously about to regain consciousness.

'The Strongest Will Always Conquer?' Snape read out, looking at Ciel with a mix of distaste and amusement. A winning smirk twitched Ciel's lips before he remembered himself and schooled his expression into polite blankness. 'Are you confident enough to rub in your victory like that, Mr Phantomhive?' Snape asked smoothly, for the moment not making a move to help Malfoy.

'Considering that they were three against one and they surprised me?' Ciel asked back. Snape went up to Malfoy and checked him over.

'Professor,' Malfoy exclaimed moments after. Ciel couldn't see him, because Snape was between them, but he wasn't interested in seeing Malfoy either. 'Phantomhive attacked me professor and-'

'Mr Crabbe and Mr Goyle told me a different story,' Snape said smoothly, not letting Malfoy finish his sentence. 'Can you get up Mr Malfoy? I will gladly hear all your stories,' he added and helped Malfoy up. The blond glared at Ciel, before turning around to find his wand and stiffening up, probably noticing the paraphrased maxim of the Malfoy family, written on the wall.

'I'm going to kill you, Phantomhive,' he hissed, turning back to Ciel, who smirked, wanting to show him just how unimpressed he was by that threat.

'Should you really be saying that now, Malfoy?' he asked. With the corner of his eye he noticed movement and turned his head slightly to see Nezumi. He hoped that his brother would stay hidden. Snape sighed at Malfoy's words.

'As fellow Slytherins, you should strive to cooperate and help each other, rather than fight over petty reasons,' he said in a very formal tone. 'As the representatives and heirs of old and respected pure-blood families, you should give example to the younger students as to how a self-respecting wizard should behave.' Ciel wondered if Snape really believed in those words that were once said by the headmaster Dumbledore when Ciel and Malfoy got into a fight in the first year.

'He attacked me first,' Malfoy exclaimed indignantly. 'He vanished my trousers in the Great Hall, publicly humiliating me, his "fellow Slytherin" and the heir to the most important pure-blood family,' he added. Ciel had a different opinion on which family was the most important, but this was not the time to mention it, because Snape turned to him.

'Is that true, Mr Phantomhive?' he asked coldly, black eyes boring into Ciel. He looked back at the professor.

'No, professor,' he said firmly. The black eyes glared at him for what seemed to be an eternity, but finally turned to Malfoy, asking if he had a proof for his words.

'He did it because I insulted his friend,' Malfoy replied promptly. Trust him to remember that day well, Ciel thought with some resignation, and turned to Malfoy with a condescending glare, ignoring Snape for the moment. It was easier to lie to the professor if he didn't have to look him in the eye and Malfoy just gave him a perfect excuse to do so.

'You must be out of your mind if you think that I would endanger myself in any way to protect another person,' he said in a cold tone that allowed no argument. The blond glared at him murderously.

'Rumour has it that you did, protecting that mud-Muggle born from the curse in the summer,' he challenged with a smug smirk.

'Rumour has it that you enjoyed shovelling dung for H-professor Hagrid,' Ciel shot back without hesitation. 'Should I understand that you will be stepping down as the heir of the family to enjoy your new-found hobby?' he asked mockingly.

'How dare you, you filthy-' Malfoy started and took a breath as he tried to come up with insults that would be enough to voice his fury. At least that was what Ciel thought as he looked at his fellow Slytherin emotionlessly.

'That will be enough, from both of you,' Snape said imperiously. 'Mr Malfoy, if you had reasons to believe that Mr Phantomhive was to blame for your accident in October, you should have come to me immediately. Right now, checking the wand is impossible, because so many spells have been cast since,' he added coldly and raised his hand when Malfoy was opening his mouth to say something. 'As things are now, I am obliged to punish you for attacking a fellow student in the corridor. I am sure you understand the circumstances. I cannot allow Slytherins to attack each other.'

'But-'

'You will come to my office for detention on Saturday after lunch, Mr Malfoy,' Snape didn't let Malfoy speak. The blond looked outraged, much to Ciel's delight, but didn't say anything. When the teacher turned to him, with a stern glare, Ciel carefully hid the smug smile from his face. 'As for you, Mr Phantomhive,' he trailed off and shook his head. 'I suggest you restrain yourself from further provoking arguments within the House of Slytherin.'

'Of course, professor, I apologise,' Ciel said with a perfectly humble tone, adding just a pinch of annoyance for the good measure. He didn't want to give Snape even the smallest excuse to give him a detention as well and he could see that the teacher was itching to do it. With a glare, Snape added that if he ever heard about any conflict between them, there would be detentions till they graduate for both, before turning to Crabbe and Goyle and giving them detentions on Sunday. After that, he disappeared in the dark corridor. Malfoy glared at Ciel, who smiled smugly, not bothering to hide his triumph anymore.

'Father used to tell me,' he said when Snape's footsteps faded into silence. 'That I should never act until I am sure to succeed. I thought that I can share this piece of advice with you, Malfoy, since you are supposed to be my equal on so many levels,' he added with a sweet smile.

'Don't get too full of yourself, Phantomhive,' Malfoy growled. 'You will regret that one day,' he promised, making no effort to hide the threat in his words.

'Why? Are you planning to burn my house down as well?' Ciel asked coldly. Malfoy's eyes narrowed, but the blond didn't say anything anymore. He marched past Ciel, taking care to push him ruthlessly as he passed. Ciel stumbled, but never hit the ground, because somebody caught him on time.

'It was very stupid to bring that up,' Nezumi said calmly, helping Ciel to stand up properly. Twelve years ago, when the Rutherford family house was burned, the culprit was found to be one of Malfoy's employees. The whole matter has been kept rather quiet and no ties to Lucius Malfoy have been discovered. The case was closed eventually, with the culprit being convicted for life for a double murder and destruction of property, but father never believed in the official story.

'If Malfoy's reaction is anything to judge by, then father is right,' Ciel commented, accepting the tissue that Nezumi gave him to wipe the blood from his face.

'Snape told you to not provoke Malfoy anymore,' Nezumi scolded him, seemingly ignoring his words. 'For once you should listen to him, because he is right. Just keep your distance from that idiot until we graduate and then you never have to see him again.'

'Can we talk about something else?' he asked, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes as the pain and fatigue finally caught up with him. 'I need to clean myself up before I go back to the dormitory. I cannot have other students see me like that,' he added, rubbing his belly delicately. He heard Nezumi take out his wand and mutter a couple of spells in quick succession. A tingling feeling on his face told Ciel that the blood was magically wiped away and his nose was fixed. Then the tingling feeling eased the pain in his abdomen.

'Thanks,' he muttered as the strength restoration spell kicked away the fatigue. He looked at his brother and smirked, putting his clothes back in order.

'I have to admit that I did enjoy your little argument with Malfoy,' Nezumi said in a light tone as they made their way towards the common room. 'Although you will not hear me say that ever again,' he amended. 'Your ego is overly inflated as it is. You don't need to be praised by anybody.'

'You wound me, brother,' Ciel replied with a smirk. 'Here I was, thinking that I would amuse you with my recollection of the delightful encounter with Malfoy earlier tonight, but if you won't praise me then I won't waste my breath,' he added.

'I suggest you wait till you have the adoring audience of the ladies,' Nezumi advised.

'Such violence is not for the gentle ears of the ladies,' Ciel countered, making Nezumi laugh and ask if they were discussing the same ladies. 'How disrespectful of you, Nezumi,' Ciel scolded with a smirk.

Their conversation stopped as they entered the Slytherin common room. Silence fell in the room and all eyes were on Ciel for a moment. Then somebody pointed out that Ciel didn't look like Malfoy had beaten the hell out of him before being disturbed by Snape who literally saved Ciel's life.

'I see you can't even manage a bit of gossip properly, Malfoy,' Ciel said smugly, making a couple of people laugh.


	27. Ch 26: Reconciliation

**That's it! The last chapter of the longest story I've ever written about Harry Potter and/or manga! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. If so, let me know: reviews make me happy =)**

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**Ch. 26: Reconciliation**

The end of April and the whole of May passed in a sort of blur for Hermione. She spent extensive amounts of time studying, tuning out pretty much everything else. She sort of noticed the change in Ciel's behaviour, right after she had asked Shion about it, but she didn't stop to wonder at the reasons. She was happy that he wasn't worried anymore, but exams were coming up. She had priorities.

In the middle of May, McGonagall asked all the sixth year students to gather in the Great Hall and explained the proceedings. The exams would take place in the last week of May to give the teachers time to correct them before the end of the year, but also to not collide with the O. W. L. and N. E. W. T. exams for the fifth and seventh years. The schedule wouldn't change, but lessons would be replaced by exams, at least for the sixth-year students. The headmistress wished them good luck and asked that they take the exams seriously, even if the results would not affect their lives.

After McGonagall's announcement, it seemed like no time passed until the exams and then, the week of tests passed in an even bigger blur. Walking with Harry to enjoy the last of the sunny Friday, Hermione felt like she had forgotten everything about the previous week.

'Doesn't it feel weird?' she asked as they sat down, turning her face to the sun, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth. Lizzy said the other day that Hermione would look nice with a small tan. Maybe she could work on that this summer?

'Not having Ron here? Yeah, it's a bit weird now that you mention it,' Harry replied, making her laugh, because she didn't mean Ron at all. The red-head would probably join them soon anyway. 'I wonder what they expect us to do for the whole of June. I don't think I want to even hear about homework,' he added.

'I suppose we will have some though,' Hermione pointed out. 'But it's always a bit more relaxed when the exams are coming, because everybody is so focused on that,' she added thoughtfully. 'I can't wait to see the results of the exams.'

'Typical, Mione, typical,' said Ron's voice and she smiled, not turning away from the sun. 'I don't care if I never see the results myself, but anyways. I talked with Michael Corner,' he changed the topic and this time Hermione looked at him with surprise.

'Michael Corner talks with you?' she asked. Last time she checked, Michael Corner only shot disdainful glares towards both Harry and Ron, furious about being humiliated in the shower.

'Yup,' Harry said cheerfully. 'Since Ravenclaw won against Slytherin and got the Quidditch Cup, Michael is back to being friendly,' he explained. Hermione almost asked if there has already been the last game, but then she remembered that one day when there was no one else in the library.

'I missed the game,' she said quietly. The two guys laughed and told her that she was in such a daze that nothing seemed to be getting through and if she was going to get even worse next year, for the real exams, they will start to get worried.

'You missed so much fun,' Harry agreed. 'Malfoy actually fell off the broom when he was trying to get the Snitch. He made this hilarious sound also,' he added, looking positively gleeful. Hermione shook her head with a laugh, wishing that there was a way to capture things on camera in the wizarding world.

'Next to the ferret incident, this scene will take a special place in my heart,' Ron agreed with an impassioned expression that just looked so hilarious on him that Hermione had to laugh even more. Harry nodded in agreement. 'But I just heard something interesting about Malfoy,' Ron added, returning to his regular expression, although his eyes sparkled with excitement.

'Tell us,' Harry replied, while Hermione rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wished that Malfoy would disappear, so that they could have happy lives. She had once heard Malfoy boasting about how his parents had wanted to send him to France to school. She wished they had done that.

'Michael heard Allen talking with that girl he hangs out with, her name is Safu Thompson, no?' Ron asked, making Hermione nod. 'He was telling her that Malfoy tried to beat up one of the Phantomhive twins,' he announced elatedly. Both Harry and Hermione looked at him in shock.

'What?' Harry asked.

'Tried to?' Hermione asked in the same time. Ron looked even happier to be in the centre of attention, delivering such interesting news. He explained them that, according to Allen, Malfoy pretty much failed and ended up unconscious, to be found by Snape. He said he wished he had seen it for himself, because it sounded awesome from what Michael was saying.

'Phantomhive must have gotten a horrible detention from Snape, for attacking his favourite student,' Harry muttered after a moment. 'Did Michael say which Phantomhive?'

'No, he didn't hear that clearly,' Ron replied with some regret. 'But it must have been Nezumi, no? He's the violent one. But it didn't seem like he was having some horrible detention and Allen didn't mention any punishment, according to Michael.'

'Well, now Snape doesn't have to be nice to Lucius Malfoy anymore, so maybe Draco Malfoy is not his favourite student anymore?' Hermione suggested as the thought occurred to her. 'And if it really was Nezumi, then he's much better than Malfoy in Potions so Snape should like him more,' she added, even though she was fairly sure it hadn't been Nezumi.

'That is a good point,' Harry agreed and they sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the sun and the fact that they didn't have absolutely any homework to do for the whole weekend, nor had they anything to prepare for. More students came out to the courtyard and Hermione's gaze was drawn to the familiar figure of Safu, only to make her gape in shock when the girl laughed at something a boy, who was walking with her, said.

'Funny to watch, isn't it?' asked a voice next to her and Hermione turned to see the gleeful expression of Elizabeth as the girl sat next to her. Harry and Ron looked confused and then somewhat uncomfortable, when Shion came up to them as well. Hermione wanted to laugh at how they sat up straighter and slightly moved away, but Lizzy nodded towards Safu and the guy, pulling Hermione's attention back to the more interesting question. 'She lost a bet,' she explained.

'But that's good,' Shion commented with a smile, sitting next to Lizzy, ignoring Harry and Ron for the moment. 'She looks happy and she has been quite miserable recently, hasn't she?' he asked. There was absolutely nothing in his voice or expression that would hint he knew the reasons for Safu's misery and Hermione stared. Was he that good an actor? Elizabeth grinned.

'So who's this guy?' Hermione asked, deciding to ask Lizzy about Shion when they would be alone.

'His name is Lawrence Bluer and he's been gazing at Safu dreamily for the better part of the year now,' the blond girl said, still sounding happy. 'He's in seventh year in Ravenclaw and he wants to try himself in medical research. That last thing I know from Safu. She's been chatting with him for a week now,' she added. Next to Hermione, Harry and Ron blinked. She could see that they didn't know what to make of the weird situation, but the two newcomers didn't seem to mean harm. Not that Lizzy and Shion would ever mean harm to anybody, Hermione thought with a fond smile.

'Lawrence Bluer, you say,' Hermione repeated, grinning. 'What was the bet about?' she asked. Elizabeth giggled.

'I said that Malfoy would still try something, she claimed that he would chicken out,' she said with a laugh. Hermione shook her head.

'Hey, you knew that Malfoy was planning something?' Ron asked, but when Lizzy and Shion turned to look at him, he shrank back for some reason.

'Hermione didn't tell you?' Shion asked with some surprise and Ron seemed to be absolutely lost as to what he was supposed to do. Hermione elbowed him so that he would at least stop staring, before turning to Shion and asking if he was also making bets, to change the subject and try to erase the weird atmosphere. He smiled. 'No, I don't. I always lose my bets, so I stopped,' he replied.

'There you guys are,' Nezumi's voice exclaimed. Ron whimpered when the Phantomhive twins joined the small group. 'Watching the newest Ravenclaw romance bloom?' he asked with a satisfied tone, casually resting his hand on Shion's shoulder. Hermione blinked. What was wrong in that picture?

'What were you supposed to do if you lost the bet?' she asked Lizzy, although she didn't quite look away from Nezumi, wanting to figure out what she was missing. She was completely distracted, however, when not only Lizzy, but also Ciel, blushed.

'Can we just say that we are happy she didn't lose the bet?' he asked testily and a wicked grin lit up Hermione's face. Ron made another whimpering noise and Hermione realised that Ciel's expression could be threatening if one wanted to interpret it as such.

'I believe you haven't been officially introduced,' she said with a grin. 'Guys, those are my best friends, Harry and Ron,' she continued, enjoying the surprised expressions that surrounded her. 'Harry, Ron those are my friends: Lizzy, Shion, Ciel and Nezumi. I study with them often and also with Safu, although maybe she won't join us this school year anymore,' she finished with a laugh. Lizzy giggled at her last statement.

'It is a pleasure to meet Hermione's friends,' Ciel said in a pleasant tone, but with a mocking smirk on his face. Harry and Ron looked shocked at his words and glanced at each other before looking back at the group when Lizzy spoke.

'It really is,' Lizzy said, sounding more honest than Ciel did. Hermione would have laughed at the surprised expressions on her best friends' faces, if she wasn't so worried about how this situation would evolve.

'Ah yes, we heard so much good stuff about you,' Nezumi said, outright mocking. He rolled his eyes when Lizzy and Shion hissed his name furiously. 'Whatever, nice to meet you,' he added in a light tone. Shion only nodded curtly at Harry and Ron but Hermione could see that he was going to make an effort for her sake.

She smiled at them gratefully, because she knew it meant they would try to be friendly at least, should they ever happen to meet Harry and Ron with or without her. She turned to her two best friends, willing them silently to meet the others halfway. Harry smiled at her before turning to the others.

'Yeah, it's nice to finally meet you guys,' he said, sounding earnest. Hermione smiled again, knowing that Ron would always follow Harry. Sure enough, the red-head echoed Harry's words with a bit less of enthusiasm, but friendly enough.

The conversation that followed was awkward and full of misunderstandings, because Harry and Ron were not used to the style of the twins. However, with some time and with Lizzy's, Shion's and her own silent insistence on being civil and polite, she knew that she could make them into friendly acquaintances, if not exactly friends. Later that day, Safu came to introduce Lawrence to the group and Hermione was relieved to find out that he was a really nice guy.

The remaining month of the school year passed peacefully. Their tests were graded and the teachers addressed the results, but the weather was exceptionally nice and even Hermione found that she didn't care much. She preferred to spend time with her friends, rather than studying, especially since her study group seemed to prefer lying in the sun and swimming in the lake to studying.

Only Shion didn't seem to want to swim in the lake, which she found weird, considering what he had said in the beginning of the school year. However, when she asked him about it, he only told her that she would probably see why if she came to visit them in Norway. She decided to not push and sat down next to him instead, laughing when Ciel and Nezumi waged a splashing war against the girls.

'I'm almost worried I should be jealous about those guys,' said Lawrence, coming up to them and sitting down with them. In the lake, Harry and Ron joined the splashing game reluctantly. In a split of a second, the girls and the twins united against the other two.

'I don't think you need be jealous about any of those guys,' Hermione replied with conviction, not missing the weird glance that Shion sent her. Was it because he thought that she was going to date Ron? She felt herself blush at the very thought, because she did start to consider it again. The knowing smirk on Shion's face seemed to suggest that the previous glance could have been about that indeed. But then, wasn't there the slightest hint of blush on Shion's cheeks as well? She would definitely have to investigate that matter, she decided, and the stay in Norway seemed like a good starting point.

She was really looking forward to the holidays!

**The End**


End file.
